Bite The Bullet
by QueenWillie
Summary: JOINT FIC WITH DARDEILE. Set 10 months after The Bahamas Triangle. Wilhelmina has left Mode for Elle and everything is very different. Daniel/Wilhelmina but includes all characters.
1. Chapter 1

She knew that it was a cold morning. She could see the little people running on the sidewalk, covered in dated furs and embarrassing colored hats. Girls walked close together, gossiping and giggling like scholars. Men kept their scarves close to their faces to shield themselves from the cold wind of December nights in New York. At the feet of the building, in the little square of Paramount Plaza, children were playing with snowballs, and their mothers helped them with snowmen. A girl was walking with her dog and two boys were following her and chuckling. The windows of malls and little shops in the street below were bright and festive. Red, green and gold were everywhere.

From the height she was at, safely hidden in her office, looking through the big window that looked down on Broadway, she was observing the little people. She always did. She despised little people, but she could not stop observing them, studying them. The "Winter Garden" Theater still had a "Mamma Mia!" billboard. It had been there forever. To say the least. When she'd first come here, it had already been there, and she'd been here for ten months already. But she'd never really been into musicals. Her boarding school had hosted a "Cats" production, once, but she'd slept through the whole thing. What was the point of watching desperate people playing cats? No one.

She took a sip from her mug, tasting the strong hot coffee. She licked her lips and laid the mug on the hard marble window-seat. She turned her back on the window and let her eyes wander around her office. The black pinstriped floor with the dark red Persian carpet was something she'd fought against. She hated that carpet. The walls were red too, but the color was different, more relaxing. It didn't hurt her eyes like the damned carpet. Right in front of her was her desk, made of dark mahogany, and her chair, dark too. After all, it was very different from the white and orange she was used too. More elegant, more antique, more…her.

She sighed deeply.

She wasn't a woman to live with regret. She'd hardly regretted anything in the course of her whole life so far, and she wasn't going to regret her choices now. She had been determined to open a new phase of her life. She'd realized she'd been crystallized on unimportant things, things that had kept her from getting what she really deserved. She'd been childish and attached to useless memories. She'd let go of them, and now she was free. She had succeeded in everything since making that decision, she'd proved herself to be worthy of her own reputation. She'd showed the world who she really was after too long a time in which she'd forgotten her true self.

She was free, now. She'd been in chain for years, chains she had created for herself, chains she'd never really seen until ten months before, on that equally cold February morning, when she'd closed the door on her past. The morning when she'd left the Meade building, the morning when she'd left Mode.

She could still remember every detail of that morning. She'd sat down at her desk for two hours, not answering the phone, locked in, curtains closed. She'd paced back and forth, she'd scribbled down a list of pros and cons. She'd even considered calling her father, wondering if his opinion could somehow be helpful. She had ended up putting the receiver down, like she'd done countless times in her life. She was alone, always had been. She had been alone as a child, she had been alone as a teenager, she had been alone as Fey's assistant and then as her Creative Director. She had been alone even as an Editor-in-Chief.

She sat down at her desk, lost in her memories, and she didn't even notice Marc open the heavy door and enter the room. His shoes didn't make any noise, as it was deadened by the red carpet on the floor. He stopped in the middle of the office, joining his hands behind his back, waiting for her to notice him.

Feeling a presence in the room she lifted her head and saw him standing there, motionless. She tilted her head to the right, inviting him to tell her the reason of his presence.

Before he could open his mouth, the phone rang and she pushed a button on the device in front of her. A soft female voice filled the room.

"Wilhelmina, we have a problem."

"What is it?" she asked, sounding more willing than she really was.

"The photo we picked for the cover," Robbie began. Wilhelmina and Marc heard noises from the other end of the phone, like papers being scattered around, "The background colors are a disaster. They don't fit with the layout of the inside of the magazine. And the typeface Sylvia chose for the center-spread captions are hideous."

"I was afraid they were too blurry, indeed," Wilhelmina agreed, biting her bottom lip. "There's still time to change it, that's the least of our problems. What's wrong with the cover?"

"I don't know, the rest of the shots we used in this issue are soft, and romantic…you know what I'm talking about," the woman explained, matter-of-factly, "The cover is so colorful, and in total contrast with the concept."

Wilhelmina chewed on her bottom lip, seeing where she was coming from. She didn't have the pictures on her desk, but she remembered them very well, and Robbie was right. Marc tried to catch her attention, waving madly and she looked at him questioningly. "Richard Warren, tomorrow," he mouthed.

"Oh, Robbie, I told you I'm meeting with Richard Warren tomorrow, right?" Wilhelmina said, winking at Marc who smiled broadly, thoroughly content.

"Yeah, I told you I can't-"

"I'm not asking you to come," Wilhelmina said, rolling her eyes, "I'm suggesting shooting a new cover. And I'll ask Richard if he'll do that for us."

"You mean we're discarding Andres Hernandez?" Robbie asked, sounding shocked.

"I'm not saying we are _discarding _him," Wilhelmina explained, "We asked him for a romantic theme, he gave us a_ metro punk style _picture. It's his fault he can't do his job properly."

"I don't know Wilhelmina, I'm not sure this is a good idea."

"Robbie, I already saved this magazine three times since I first got here," Wilhelmina said, exasperation clear in her voice, "Give me a little credit."

Both Marc and Wilhelmina could hear the woman take a deep breath. They could hear the wheels in her head turning faster and faster. Robbie Myers had hated Wilhelmina since the first time they'd shook hands, more than thirty years earlier. She saw her as the woman she would never be, and she hated her for that. That's why Wilhelmina, and Marc too, had been shocked when Robbie had been the first to call her when she'd left Mode. She'd started by telling her Joe Zee had quit and she needed a partner. Wilhelmina had believed she'd offer her Joe Zee's position, but instead Robbie told her she already had a new Creative Director, and when she'd said partner she'd really meant co-Editor. Wilhelmina had not been convinced, at first. She just knew there had to be some kind of hole in the plan. But a week later Robbie had called again, and to prove she wasn't trying to trap her into some tacky business, she'd asked her to meet her on 1633 Broadway 44th. The Elle Headquarters.

They'd met. They'd talked. Wilhelmina had listened to all the things Robbie Myers was planning for the two of them. She had been tempted and she'd agreed. The day after it was all over the news. Fashion TV was having a live coverage outside her building and outside the Elle offices. She called Robbie but she only said she would take care of everything, and she didn't have to talk to the press until she'd set the record straight. She didn't want wrong information to fly around. Wilhelmina had done as she had been told, for the first time in a long time, not because she felt intimidated by Robbie, but simply because it was too soon for her to pretend being happy for the new job. She was still grieving over Mode.

And just as she was still grieving over Mode, she'd found a missed call on her cell phone, the ID belonging to _Daniel Meade_. She didn't see Daniel the day she'd left the office for the first time. When he'd heard about her leaving, her office was empty already. He hadn't tried to talk to her, after finding out. Marc, who'd been told by Amanda, had told her Daniel had heard she had quit from Betty. Wilhelmina had notified Claire, and Claire hadn't even had the grace to tell Daniel he no longer had a co-Editor in Chief. So, when she read his ID she didn't call him back.

"Alright, let's see how this works," Robbie Myers stated, cutting off the connection.

Wilhelmina looked at Marc and smiled. He smiled back, victoriously. He was no longer her assistant. He was now an Editor for the Fashion department. He happened to have the office right next to hers, and they were both glad to be together. He'd followed her without hesitation in the whole transition, never once doubting her savvy. Once they'd landed at Elle, he'd been promoted in less than a month. She missed him, sometimes, when she was alone in her office and Marc was out. She was used to him trotting around her constantly, but she knew he deserved to live his dream.

"So, why are you here?" she asked, as Marc sat down on the chair opposite her desk. He casually picked up a pen and started chewing on the end of it. Wilhelmina furrowed her brow. "Are you done eating my office supplies? Aren't yours tasty enough?"

"Yours taste more like mocha."

"Ha. Ha."

He put down the pen and leaned on the desk with his elbows. "So, Richard Warren huh?"

"Yeah," she said, sighing deeply, "I really hope he agrees to do this, otherwise we're in a lot of trouble. The cover is crap."

"Oh, everything will be fine, you know that."

"Hopefully," she said, "Again, why are you here trying to pull a Dawson's Creek chitchat? With me of all people?"

He grinned. She always knew when he had something to tell her. "I'm having lunch with Amanda, today."

"And that would concern me because…?"

"Maybe you wanted me to ask something in particular?" he suggested, raising both his brows dramatically.

"Why would I? It's been ten months, Marc, and you keep asking that every time you meet Amanda. Which part of _I'm done with Mode _don't you understand, exactly?"

Marc had moved out of the old apartment he'd shared with Amanda as soon as they'd started working on Broadway. He'd found a beautiful place he could fully afford with his new paycheck, not far from Wilhelmina's apartment. She picked him up every morning, whenever they had the same schedule. It was a way to hold on to at least something familiar. However, the boy had kept in contact with the blonde receptionist over the past ten months. They had lunch at least once a week, and every time he came back he would go barking into Wilhelmina's office. However, she never let him tell her anything, not even what seemed the most scandalous stories. She wanted Mode out of her life, and she was succeeding. She'd never had any contact with Daniel, Claire or anything Meade related in ten months. The Meades seemed to have completely disappeared from the social life of New York. Daniel didn't attend any of the parties she'd been to in the past year.

She had cut Mode out of her life, but one thing she knew was Mode was sinking. Every time the sales came in, Elle had the top numbers, while Mode was way down the list. She'd heard of magazines being shut down at Meade Publishing, issues far from the shining perfection of the past. It was as if with her leaving the whole company had fallen apart.

"Ok," said Marc, snorting and getting up. Before he could leave he turned around to look at her, he smiled sincerely and left.

Wilhelmina rubbed her temples. It had not been her fault after all. She'd left Mode, yes, but she hadn't had any choice. After the whole Connor affair, things had gone rapidly downhill with Claire. They'd fought over her position in the company now that William was gone. Claire had clearly stated her days at Meade were going to be over soon. That had been the reason she'd left Mode in the first place. She would never give Claire the chance to fire her, it would be more shameful than wearing white socks. She'd had to take a decision for her future, and leaving Mode had turned out to be the best decision she'd made in years.

When Connor had been sentenced to twenty-five years in prison, she'd lost contact with him. She had loved him like she had never loved anybody in her life, but things would be too complicated if she'd kept it up. She'd forgotten him too, exactly like she'd forgotten everything about the other people in her life. She had buried the last thirty years under tons of indifference. She kept saying she didn't regret any of that, because that was the only way to be hurt as little as possible. When you learn how to forget, it's easier to make things for yourself.

***

Marc and Amanda walked into the cafeteria, their arms linked, and sat on the two free stools at the far end of the counter. The bartender gave them two menus and left them alone. The background noise was almost relaxing in their part of the room. Twenty minutes later, they were served their plates, and Amanda took a large gulp from her dry Martini.

"You know, it's not the quantity that worries me, because I'm used to that" said Marc, "It's the rude way you smashed the glass down on the counter. Is everything ok?"

Amanda shrugged her shoulders and looked down on her glass, playing with her olive for a little. Than with a jerk she grabbed both Marc's hands on the table and leaned in closer, lowering her voice so no one but him could listen to their conversation. "Swear to me you won't tell Wilhelmina."

He looked around, then nodded, leaning closer. "You're the one who stole her 2008 Manolo Blahnik?"

"How did you know that?" she asked, than slapped him on the forehead, "Anyway that's not the thing. It's…It's about Mode."

Marc suddenly backed away and left her hands. "I don't want to know anything, Amanda. I mean, she doesn't want to know anything. I would like to know, because you know I love gossip, but if you tell me anything that's too big to keep hidden I won't be able to keep my mouth shut."

She narrowed her eyes menacingly. He sighed. "Ok, tell me."

"So, I was talking to Janine from Beauty, who has a friend in accounting, Josh, who has overheard Mama Meade and the Editor in Chief of Cucina Magazine talking about Mode." She paused to take another large gulp from her drink. Marc followed her movements, watching her. "It's BAD. It's _Britney Spears shaving_ bad."

"THAT bad?" Marc asked, grimacing. He knew Mode wasn't supposed to be his concern anymore, but he'd spent six years in that place, and he knew how difficult it had been for Wilhelmina to leave, because it had been as difficult for him too. He was happy at Elle, he'd had all he'd ever wanted. Technically both him and Wilhelmina had managed to get all they had worked for once they'd left Mode, but it wasn't easy to just let go of the past. He felt bad for Amanda, he felt bad for Betty even, most of all he felt bad for the magazine itself, a magazine that had been their home for years. He knew the sales were not good for Mode, he'd read all about it in the many Editorial meetings he'd been in, but every time he saw Amanda it seemed like things just kept going worse.

"Yes, that bad," Amanda sighed, with a sad face, "They might shut Mode down, Marc."

This time it was Marc's turn to sip from his drink. He played with the edge of the glass briefly, before staring straight into Amanda's eyes. "You want me to find you a job at Elle?"

Amanda was shocked.

"What? No!" she said, raising her voice, "How can you be so uninterested? I just told you Mode is dying, and you barely had any reaction."

"Mandy, what am I supposed to say?" Marc said, shrugging, "I'm sorry, you know I am. But there's nothing I can do or say to improve the situation. Everybody knew Wilhelmina was the only one who knew what she was doing in that office, and when she left it was just a matter of time before things would start falling apart. You knew that, too."

"Daniel is a good Editor. He was an even better Editor when Wilhelmina was helping him. But he tried to do all he could in the past nine months!"

"Apparently it wasn't enough."

Amanda snorted. "Look, I know you're in the Headquarters of the Slater Fanclub, so we'd better talk about something else." She started to pick at her salad, absentmindedly. He simply stared at her, feeling his friend slowly slip away. He reached for her free hand and squeezed it. She lifted her head and stared back. "This doesn't have to affect us, you know?"

"I know," he agreed. "Let's talk about something stupid, and mean."

"You have to see this picture," Amanda said, suddenly forgetting their argument. She found her phone in her bag and started typing something on the keyboard. "Betty just hit a new couture low and…"

He was just looking at her, not really listening. She was amazing, despite everything that had happened she was still with him. She was funny, witty, underestimated by most people. But he was glad he could see the treasure she was.

***

Wilhelmina closed the door of her office and glanced at the empty desk in front of it. She had not being capable of finding a new assistant. She'd had countless, since Marc's promotion, but no one had lasted more than a week. She walked up to the lifts and the doors opened when she pushed the button. She got inside and leaned against the elevator wall.

There had been Jaqueline, the French girl: overenthusiastic and overexcited about everything. So overexcited the first day she'd tripped on the carpet and the coffee had destroyed her silk Gucci scarf. She'd been fired the same afternoon. Then there had been Sally, a beautiful girl from South Dakota who had lasted a whole week before she dared to say Jimmy Choo was overrated. She'd thought the boy who came after Sally, Derek, could be the one. If only he hadn't pretended to be gay to try and bed her.

She could name them all, tragedy after tragedy, and explain exactly why they hadn't had any chance to be her assistant, but she also knew they had shoes too big to fill. She would never be content with someone less than perfect, she would never want someone who was less than Marc. The elevator doors opened and she stepped out of it, walking on the cold hard floor of the hall. She passed through the big sliding doors and put on her big sunglasses to shield her eyes from the now pale afternoon sun. The warmth of her white coat comforted her, feeling the freezing air tickle her face. "I should have put on the sable today," she whispered to herself.

She turned right and started walking. No reason to call a cab for her destination, this time. It was only a couple of blocks away. As she walked, a few people, men mainly, stared at her. She was never someone to go unnoticed. She didn't know whether it was because they knew her, or just because she was dressed impeccably, but people always looked at her.

"Miss Slater?"

She reluctantly turned around to see a couple of young girls staring and giggling.

"Yes?"

"Hello, Miss Slater," said the one who appeared to be the more straightforward, "My name is Kelly, and I just wanted to tell you how much we admire your job. We used to read Mode religiously, but after all they did to you we decided to subscribe to Elle Magazine."

She raised a brow and smirked. "Well, thank you," she said, nodding curtly, before turning her back on the two girls, who were left talking amongst themselves about how _freaking amazing _she was. Two blocks later she crossed the street and entered the small _Starbucks_. She sat at her usual table, alone, and put the bag on the seat next to hers, preventing any unwanted company. She motioned for the waiter who, upon seeing her, almost literally ran to her table.

"A tall non-fat Skinny Caramel Latte," she said, without looking at the man. She pulled the Elle mock-up and started going through the pages, scribbling something here and there. Five minutes later she was sipping from her latte, carefully trying not to burn her tongue. She loved that place. It was not your usual crowded _Starbucks, _thanks to the moderate dimensions. They always played jazz music, which was her all-time favorite genre. It was relaxing, after (not having) lunch, sitting there, watching people passing by, taking care of business, making calls, while sipping a hot beverage.

Just as she was thinking about how much she loved her routine, she heard a familiar voice. "A Cinnamon Dolce Crème, please." Wilhelmina almost choked on her Latte. She turned her head so fast she was afraid she'd break it. There, looking weird as always, and bright, and coloured, and big as always, was Betty Suarez. Wilhelmina's eyes widened in shock and she turned to her Latte, keeping her eyes tightly shut. If there ever was a better reason to pray, she couldn't remember it.

"Wilhelmina?"

No matter how she wanted to believe in God, how could she when all he seemed to do was ignore her? She turned slowly around and saw Betty walking towards her, with a huge smile on her face and her drink in her hands. When she was close enough, Wilhelmina looked up and raised a brow.

"How are you?" Betty asked tentatively, casting a glance to the Elle mock-up. Wilhelmina closed the Book and put it back into her bag.

"This is not your usual zone," Wilhelmina stated, taking another sip from her cup.

"Yeah, I had to come and pick something up for work," she said, lowering her gaze awkwardly. She sighed deeply and nodded once, before saying, "Well, it was nice seeing you." She turned around and walked away. Wilhelmina followed her with her eyes, watching her as she got out of the shop and walked down the street, until she was out of sight.

She grabbed her purse, and the remainder of her Latte, put a ten dollar bill on the table and left the place. She looked around, suddenly feeling exposed. She'd never met anyone from Mode in the past ten months, so she had never really been face to face with her past. Seeing Betty had upset her, for the look in the girl's eyes was not able to hide all the problems she was probably having at work, with Mode on the verge of collapse.

***

Daniel looked up from his laptop when he heard a woman clearing her voice. He saw his mother standing on the threshold of his office's door, arms crossed on her chest, with a small smile playing upon her lips. He leaned back and motioned for her to come in. He yawned and stretched his arms and legs.

"You've been here all night?" she asked, sitting down on the chaise longue.

He nodded wearily, closing his eyes. He hadn't slept all night, just like he hadn't slept the day before. He'd been trying to solve ads problems with European designers who were trying to breach their contracts with the magazine. No big news, since half the ads had decided Mode's poor sales were not good for their high standards brands. The January Issue was supposed to be approved around the 20th of December. He had no more than twenty days to save the company and his own ass. He was not feeling positive.

"You know Mum, I'm considering flying to Mexico," he said, with his eyes still closed and a sleepy tone in his voice.

"Don't be stupid," she said, "Australia would be much better."

"Don't ever say that again," he snapped, "I don't want to hear anything that has to do with Australia. Not even kangaroos."

Claire got up and circled the desk, getting behind Daniel and putting her hands on his shoulders. She squeezed him tightly for a brief moment, then she bent down and hugged him. Daniel touched her arm and squeezed it in return.

"It's ok," he said, feeling the urge to reassure his mother, even thought things were really far from ok. "I don't know how, but I'll find a way, I'm sure."

Claire straightened herself up and peeked at his computer screen, watching the long list of names and numbers he was studying. "It's bad, huh?" she asked.

"Armani is pulling out," he explained, "And so is John Galliano and Bottega Veneta. I still haven't spoken to Raf Simons, but I'm pretty sure Jil Sanders is too." He had spent the night talking on the phone with assistants, because their bosses were apparently too busy to talk to him. He had made an educated guess, and had come to the conclusion they were just avoiding dirtying their hands and letting the underdogs handle the situation.

"If you add all the ads we lost in the past couple of months, we have-"

"Nothing, Mom," he continued, "We have nothing left, except for some local brand and minor designer."

She didn't have anything to say. They both stood there in a silence full of awareness. They were shaken out of their trances by the noise of someone entering the room. They looked at the girl who had just crossed the threshold, both smiling. Betty smiled back. It was common use, at Mode, smiling just because. Because everybody knew things were bad but didn't want to admit it, or because they were all trying to be polite and assure themselves the paycheck of the month.

"Alright, I have good news and bad news," she began.

"Good news first," Daniel and Claire said together.

"I talked to the reps at Marc Jacobs," she said, and reached into her bag to pull out a stack of papers, "And they agreed to sign the contract for another six months."

"That's extraordinary!" Daniel said, jumping up from his chair and running towards Betty, hugging her.

"Don't you want to hear the bad news?" she asked, finding it almost hard to breathe in Daniel's hold. He released her and his euphoric expression was replaced by one of concern.

"What is it?"

"They have conditions. A lot of conditions," she said, holding the stack of papers up to Daniel's face. He took the files and started skimming through the many pages. They really did have a lot of conditions, but none of them were impossible to maintain. After all, a contract was still a contract.

"It doesn't matter, as long as they stay on board," he whispered, laying the contract on the desk. Betty didn't move and shifted uncomfortably in her position. Claire looked at her, narrowing her eyes, suspiciously. When Daniel turned around, he noticed the girl's uneasiness too. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing," she said, too fast and with a high pitched voice, both Suarez Lie Detectors. Daniel raised a brow, skeptically. "Ok, there is something, but it's not really that important."

"If you felt compelled to lie about it, then it must be important," Daniel said authoritatively.

"While I was out to meet the Marc Jacobs people, I sort of went into a _Starbucks_," she said, fidgeting with her own fingers, "And while I was there, I sort of ran into someone."

"Betty, if this is about Matt again, I'm sorry you two broke up but it's not really a good-"

"I'm _not _talking about Matt, and if you could just let me finish," she said, resentful, "As I was saying, I ran into someone. And she was totally not pleased to see me."

Claire looked confused, she had no idea what the girl was talking about. She thought that had to be some kind of inside joke between her and Daniel, so she turned to her son, and indeed she saw his expression change to one of realization. "What?" Claire asked.

Daniel looked at Betty for a minute, before looking down and sitting down on the chaise longue his mother had occupied earlier. He laid himself down, letting out a deep breath.

"Is anyone going to explain me what's going on?" the blonde woman asked, moving her eyes from Betty to Daniel and again to Betty.

"She met Wilhelmina."

Wilhelmina Slater was a tough subject at Mode. Nobody mentioned her name, and her office had been locked up, so that the negative influence would be trapped in between those walls. It was general belief, amongst people who worked there, that she'd cursed the place. So it was no wonder when he said her name out loud for the first time in months he felt taken aback himself. Claire turned to Betty, looking for confirmation, and when the girl nodded, she sat down on Daniel's armchair.

"What did she say to you?" he asked from the chaise longue. He was staring at the ceiling.

"That I was out of my zone, or something along those lines," she said, trying to remember. Daniel snorted and got back into a sitting position.

"Why were you there, anyway? There are dozens of _Starbucks _in town, why did you have to pick the only one she goes to?" Daniel asked, feeling something boiling inside his guts.

"Let me set the record straight, Daniel," she said, starting to get annoyed, "First off, I was on Broadway because I had a meeting with the Marc Jacobs reps in the proximity, and secondly, how was I supposed to know Wilhelmina Slater goes to _Starbucks_ like normal people do?"

Daniel was about to reply when Amanda came into the office, without knocking as per usual. She looked around, noticing the looks of concern on everybody's face. "O-em-gee, you guys look like you've seen a ghost."

Betty snorted, "Almost."

"Anyway, Daniel, this just came in, it's an invitation for the White Party, next week," she said, walking up to Daniel and gave him a white envelope. "By the way, if you needed a partner, I'm totally available."

The girl left the room, swaying her hips exaggeratedly. Daniel looked at the white envelope in his hands and tossed it to the side. Betty looked at the invitation laying abandoned on the floor, shaking her head.

"Aren't you going to RSVP at least?" she asked.

"What?" Daniel asked, coming out of his trance, "Oh yes, I'm going."

Claire was surprised, and so was Betty. They both stared at Daniel, big smiles forming upon their lips. "Really?" asked Claire, "You're going?"

"I am going."


	2. Chapter 2

Amanda sat at her desk, mentally pairing up her outfits with cute shoes; there was nothing else to do in this place anymore it seemed. Barely any calls came through, unless you count the vultures at Fashion TV calling for a comment on the declining sales in Mode and saying 'No comment' had become tedious. She didn't even answer anymore, when she saw it on the caller ID. Betty had rarely stepped out of Daniel's office, so no opportunities to mock her outfit, which was becoming more difficult as she was undoubtedly becoming more stylish. With Wilhelmina gone, there was nowhere near as much drama and scandal, and even if there was, there was no Marc to share it with.

Marc, that was the worst part: when he had first left Mode it had been strange, but at least she could go home and the two of them could dish together over a bowl of non fat ice cream while watching The Hills. Now he'd moved out and got himself a fancy pants apartment of his own and she missed him so much her heart hurt. She wouldn't tell him though, she would carry on being the ditzy blonde that no one took seriously; it was her niche, and she'd played the part too long to abandon it.

The phone beeped in her ear; checking the caller ID she smiled: talk of the devil.

'Hey Mr Hot shot Editor, you still taking me for a liquid lunch today?'

'Mandy Pants, I'm swamped, I can't leave the office.' Marc answered, clearly harassed.

'Oh…okay.' She tried not to let the disappointment show in her voice.

'But never fear, your fabulous _BFF_ has ordered lunch to be delivered to my office: two bottles of champagne and a cupcake for you my pretty. So I'll expect your size 2 heiny at my office at noon.'

Amanda hesitated. 'At Elle? I don't know Marc. Isn't that a little "_Sleeping With the Enemy"_?'

'What exactly do you think lunch entails Amanda?'

'I just don't think Daniel…'

'And do you generally get permission from Daniel before you visit somewhere for lunch? Look it's up to you; you wanna see me, I'll be in the office. Who's more important? Me, the friend who gives you free Elle swag or Daniiieeeelllll?' He started making kissy noises.

'Shut up, I'll see you at noon.' She disconnected the call and smiled.

xXx

Her latest temporary assistant stood in front of her, _Lisa? Laura?_ Who cares? Wilhelmina didn't even have the energy or the desire to stare at her until she shook. Not that it mattered; the girl was a nervous wreck already, yet another one that wouldn't last. She needed to stop setting her expectations so high; she would never find another Marc. Her relationship with Marc was strange now, although he still respected and would always a tiny bit fear her, he was now more at ease with her. He would come in the office on quiet spells for a talk and they had even gone for a meal together two or three times. More importantly he spoke to her as a friend, not because he had to and she realized he was the only one she had. She had come to look forward to seeing him.

Realizing she had drifted away from what _Liesel? _had said she held up her hand to stop her.

'I'm sorry; your monotone almost put me in a coma. Say that again, and try to give it a bit more life than that dead raccoon you're wearing on your shoulders.'

The girl visibly paled more, if that was possible, and licked her dry lips.

'Richard Warren's people called to confirm you reservation at Per Se for lunch and Alberta Ferretti's team called to say that her tailors have another fitting close to yours so they will be unable to come to the office and want you to go to the studio.'

'You mean to tell me that not only am I not getting the designer, but her _tailors, and _they are not coming to me and, did I hear you correctly, I have to _share?"_

The girl swallowed and nodded.

Wilhelmina sighed and waved her hand. 'Get out and tell Human Resources to find me another assistant.'

The girl let out a squeak before darting from the room, almost bumping into a grinning Marc.

'Ah, that takes me back.' He said wistfully.

'Why do all the good assistants have aspirations above wishing to serve me Marc?'

He jumped on her desk and crossed his legs. 'I guess you inspire people Willie.'

'Very amusing. If you're in here to steal a spot at my table for lunch you're too late, I already have two ass kissing junior editors tagging along.'

'No, actually I have plans for lunch. Oh, there she is.'

Wilhelmina followed his gaze into the hallway and saw Amanda Tanen looking lost.

'Amanda! In here.'

Wilhelmina looked at him quizzically. What was he doing, inviting people into her office? He may be braver now that he was an Editor but surely he wasn't stupid. Amanda, for her part, stood stock still and shook her head so tightly you'd think she'd been asked to eat razor blades. Marc jumped from the desk and swooped behind Amanda, grabbing her butt and scooting her into the room.

'Now don't be rude, say hi to Willie.'

'Hello Wilhelmina.' Amanda whispered.

'Hello Marc's friend.' It was still fun to pretend she forgot the little people's names. She stood up and walked round the desk; feeling the girl shrink from her, she bit back a smile. She still had it.

'So how are you, how are things at…' she felt the word stick in her throat. 'Mode?'

The word seemed to trigger some sort of defense mechanism in her and she stood up straighter. 'Good, great in fact. Daniel, Betty and Mrs Meade are working on something so huge it will leave Elle's sales figures in the single digits.'

Wilhelmina smiled. 'I'm sure, now if you'll excuse me I have a lunch with Richard Warren… Who, if I'm not mistaken, refused to work for Mode only last month.' Feeling refreshed and vindicated, she left them.

Marc took Amanda into his office and handed her a glass of champagne.

'Well, I see she hasn't thawed.'

Marc flapped his hand at her while sipping from his own glass and handed her a cupcake oozing with chocolate. Her eyes widened as she bit a chunk.

'Mmmmm, this has no carbs right?' She asked round a mouthful of food.

'Whatever you need to tell yourself. Isn't this great Mandy? The view, the Dom, the food? I can have lunches like this every day, you know.'

'Mmm Hmm.' She was still chewing down on the cupcake, barely listening.

'You could too.'

That stopped her; she swallowed and put the cupcake down. 'What? Is that why you got me up here? To show me your wonderful new life with all its fancy perks to try and lure me away from Mode?'

'Come on Mandy, come to Elle, I miss you.'

'I miss you too, but Mode was my Mother's.'

'Yeah, _was_ Mandy, that Company has had more owners than Paris Hilton has had sex tapes. It's a sinking ship.'

'Yeah well Leonardo DiCaprio stayed on the Titanic and it turned out okay for him and that old lady.'

'Actually he died.'

'Whatever, I'm not leaving.'

'But Mandy..'

'No!' She stormed from the room.

He watched her go and smiled when she stopped in her tracks, he knew she'd see sense. He smiled wider when she came back in his office. His face fell again when she picked up the remainder of her cupcake and stormed out again.

xXx

Richard Warren was sitting opposite a bored Wilhelmina; he was currently flicking through his portfolio. Women striking obscure poses while trying to look sensual, a naked lower torso with an X at her crotch. Ooh X marks the spot, why had no one ever thought of that before, she wondered. Still, she was determined to land him, he wouldn't work for Mode and she needed that boost in her ego right now. His client list was impressive but neither Mode or Elle was listed on it, so she would change that before this meeting was over. Although, from what was going on in front of her, it wouldn't take much. He was desperately trying to sell himself. She almost felt bad for him.

_Listen idiot, don't beg, it's unbecoming. If you're that shit hot, make me come to you._

There was no need for those tactics she had so finely tuned for getting photographers and designers to sign. There was no hunt, which meant no pride in the kill, which meant no fun.

'Miss Slater, I would love to hear your vision of how you think the cover should look.'

'Isn't it your job to decide what to shoot?'

'Yes, but I want to do you justice.' He said with a look of wide eyed adulation that she hadn't seen since she'd let her first boyfriend go to second base.

'You mean the magazine?'

'Yeah sure, that too, but mostly you. I have been a great admirer of yours for many years; this is why I would not work at Mode.'

This should have pleased her, but it only depressed her more. There was absolutely nothing for her to sink her teeth into, here. No achievement, nothing to feel proud of at the end of the day. People worshipping her, yes. People being a doormat, no.

'Please Miss Slater.'

She decided to test this so called _shit hot photographer_.

'Well, it's all about romance. How about we recreate the famous kiss from _The Notebook_? It was voted the most romantic moment in movie history.'

She could see he hated it. God, _she_ hated it. Any fashionista worth their salt would balk at the idea of a movie on the cover of a fashion magazine.

_Go on, speak up, you spineless son-of-a-bitch._

'I love it!'

She closed her eyes and sighed. 'You know what, no, you decide. I'm sure it will be wonderful. I assume you're happy to sign?'

She handed him the contract and pen, and he signed with a flourish, smiling. She stood from the table and extended her hand. He stood, took her hand and kissed it.

'It has been an honor.'

Wilhelmina rolled her eyes, 'I'm sure.'

xXx

Betty walked into Daniel's office; he was slumped over countless pages. His hair was standing at angles from him repeatedly pulling at it.

'You okay?'

'Okay? No, I'm not okay! Amanda just told me that Richard Warren has signed for Elle making that a total of seventy three photographers slash designers that are loyal to Wilhelmina. You know, I spent years trying to get her out of here because I was afraid she would fuck up my career. She finally leaves and I'm circling the God damn drain because of it!' He sighed, 'I'm sorry Betty, I just…I'm running out of ideas here.'

'Hey, don't do that. We'll think of something. We came back from the brink before didn't we?'

'Yeah, with Wilhelmina here. How could I have been so stupid to think that the best creative mind in the business could leave and Mode would sail on without her?'

'Daniel, Mode survived without her before.'

'Betty, she was barely away for one issue and that only sold so well because it was my father's memorial issue. Don't deny it.'

She didn't.

'You know what the worst thing is? She hasn't even had to resort to the usual shit to get these people to follow her. No scheming, plotting, blackmail. There's only one reason they're following her, something I wouldn't admit for years.'

'What's that?'

Daniel looked up at her.

'She's better.'

xXx

Wilhelmina scrolled down the messages on her Blackberry to see a message from Robbie, telling her she had been assigned a new assistant called Dana and to stop firing assistants. She walked into Alberta Ferretti's studio, late for her fitting. Let them dare take her to task for being late after having the audacity of making her come down here in the first place. Actually she hoped they did cop an attitude, after her all too easy meeting at Per Se she could use a chance to unleash some venom.

'Wilhelmina Sla…'

'Oh yes, of course, we know who you are.' The smiling assistant hurried from around the desk.

'We were about to call your office, we were worried something had happened.'

Great, more suck ups.

'If you would just come this way, we have another client in for a fitting. I'm sorry you won't have our undivided attention but I can tell you'll need very little done to this outfit to make it look stunning.'

_If this girl goes any further up my ass she might as well give me a teeth cleaning_, thought Wilhelmina. Just as she resigned herself to the fact she would get no verbal sparring here either she walked to the fitting area and smiled snakelike when she saw the woman in front of the full length mirror.

'Isn't this a pleasant reunion?'

Hearing the familiar voice, Claire's heart plummeted into her stomach as she turned around to face Wilhelmina. Faltering for only a second she smiled.

'Why Wilhelmina, I do believe you're in the wrong place. The private cosmetic surgeon is on the floor above.'

Wilhelmina stood on the dressing podium next to Clare's, the pair carried on looking at each other via the mirror.

'I wasn't aware Alberta's designs were bulky enough to hide a girdle. Claire.'

'You may want to watch it, Willie, these girls are good but I must say they poked a few needles in my skin while pinning the dress. Oh, what am I saying, you're perfectly used to that.'

'Shouldn't be a problem Claire dear, I won't need as much extra fabric as you.'

The two girls doing the tailoring looked at each other in mild confusion as their two clients exchanged blatant insults while smiling at each other like long lost friends.

'Miss Slater, we need you to…'

'Oh of course.'

Willie systematically removed her outfit, handing it to the girl to be hung up, until she stood only in her black underwear. Claire had to hand it to her, face to face with one of her oldest enemies and the fact that she was in a state of undress didn't daunt her one bit.

'My, my, Willie, showing off the latest remodel?'

'Actually, Claire, my body's been in great condition since I bagged your husband. He really worked those last couple of annoying pounds off me.'

'Good for you, and I thought you would have been comfort eating since the love of your life was jailed for stealing from you.'

Wilhelmina and Clare continued to smile at each other. The hatred was still evident but still, they had missed this. They were the only ones who gave as good as they got.

Wilhelmina's tailor returned with a sapphire blue, one shouldered gown that shimmered in the light. As she stepped into it the corset of the dress immediately pulled her cleavage up and out and the colour brought out the shine in her eyes. Looking at Claire's reflection in the mirror, in her high necked gold chiffon gown she smiled.

'You look like an Oscar.'

'You look like a bitch.'

'Witty.'

'Maybe not, but why come up with something when an old classic works just as well.'

'I agree you're old, I wouldn't say classic.'

Wanting to diffuse the verbal battle between the two women, the tailor fussing around Wilhelmina spoke up.

'So, what occasion are these dresses for?'

Claire and Wilhelmina answered in unison.

'The White Ball.'

The women pulled their gazes from the reflections and stared at each other.

xXx

Daniel was sprawled on his chaise when Betty wheeled in the rack of tuxedos.

'You know Daniel, I'm not your assistant anymore. Shouldn't she be doing this for you?'

Daniel didn't move, his voice was muffled from the arm flung over his face.

'She quit, got a job at Elle.'

'Very funny.'

'Not a joke, Betty.'

She stopped. 'Oh. Well, okay, we'll get you a new one, a loyal one.'

'It's not her fault, they pay more. We can't afford to because our magazine has turned into a big stinking turd. You know what, take the tux's back, I'm not going to the White Ball.'

'Oh yes, you are going.' His mother's voice called as she came strutting into his office. 'I've just been to have my gown altered and I met a dear old friend there for the same reason.'

'Oh please don't tell me.' Begged Daniel.

'Yes dear, I saw Wilhelmina, I saw too much of Wilhelmina if you must know.'

'And she's going?'

'She's going.'

'And did you tell her I was going?'

'I did.'

Daniels voice suddenly became that of a whiny schoolboy. 'Aw Mom, why'd you do that? Now I have to go!'

'Why does Wilhelmina going mean you have to go?' Asked Betty.

'Because, if she knows I'm going and she knows I know she's going, if I don't go she'll know it's because I know she's going, you know?'

'You expected me to follow that?'

Clare walked up and put her arm around her son's shoulders. 'Darling, you both work in the same industry; you're bound to be at some of the same functions. I'm surprised it's taken ten months. Now don't you worry darling, you will be looking fabulous and we'll get you the most beautiful woman to go on your arm.'

'It's not that Mom; I just don't want her to be all 'Ooooh Daniel, your magazine sucks. I'm so great, all hail evil.'

'I think she'd be a tad more eloquent darling, but I get your point. That being said, you can't avoid her forever, that would give her the satisfaction she's craving. You're going. I'll be there.'

'Wonderful, I need my Mommy to hold my hand in front of the school bully.' He pouted.

'I'll be there too.' Said Betty.

'You will?'

'Uh huh, me and Megan are covering it for features.'

Daniel let out a long breath. 'Let me see the Tux's.'

xXx

It still didn't feel right to her, Marc having an office, which was why she rarely came to him but this time she couldn't wait for him to come to her. She threw open the door to his office, startling him.

'Why am I having Mode thrown in my face all week? First you trying to yap on about it, then Amanda shows up. I meet dead woman walking Meade at a designers and now she and her pasty son are coming to the White Ball!'

'Well it had to happen sometime.'

'Why? Why couldn't they just do the decent thing and stop existing like closed chapters of your lives are supposed to?'

Marc smiled and stood. 'I don't think that chapter will ever close Willie, even if you want it to.'

'Well it should!' She was pacing now, being irrational.

Marc couldn't help but smile, remembering the countless times the Meade's had her in a flap and only he could calm her. This was the most passion she'd shown about anything since she'd come to Elle.

'Look Willie, I was prepared for this. You know Paulo Filgueiras, the Brazilian photographer Daniel has been trying to land since he started at Mode?'

Willie looked at him and raised an eyebrow.

'Well, he's agreed to escort you to the White Ball.'

If possible her brows shot further up. 'I thought you'd stopped working for me Marc.'

He smiled. 'Never.'

xXx

Back in her office, slightly calmer now that she had a huge one up to shove in Daniel's face at the White Ball, she flipped on the TV in the corner of the room. She had avoided watching Fashion TV as much as possible as she hadn't wanted to hear anything to do with Mode, hearing it was doing well without her would have crucified her but somehow watching the magazine she had dedicated her life to flounder didn't make her feel much better.

Suzuki St Pierre jumped in front of the camera to the overly cheesy music of Miley Cyrus 'See You Again' as his background music.

"_Forget Romy and Michelle's High School Reunion. It's Slater and Meade FASHION reunion. That's right; a little bird tells me these two former battling bosses are both going to this week's White Ball. Daniel and the rest of the Mode Mob have been rarely seen at any functions since La Slater up and left for pastures new. The little piggies were scared of being eaten up by the big bad wolf who has rarely left the limelight since her dramatic departure, taking an entourage of designers, photographers and models with her. Daniel Meade has recently told us big plans are in the pipeline for a huge Mode comeback which will, and I quote, leave Wilhelmina's little magazine in the dust. You heard it here first boys and girls. Slater Vs Meade, it's on!"_

Wilhelmina turned off the television.

'Yes it is.'


	3. Chapter 3

The White Ball was a big joke. Nobody wore white anymore. It was merely a tradition that everyone in the business hated, but no one would ever admit it. She hated it, that was for sure. She hated it because unlike all the other events, in which she could show up, make a quick interview and get out, this one was the most press covered of the year. It was the big event that closed the current fashion season and opened the new one. It was supposed to be the turning point. In her case it was not going to be so.

When Claire Meade had announced she was going to the White Ball, she'd been unimpressed. Claire Meade was not a problem. She was annoying, yes, but she could avoid her. However, when she'd heard Daniel was going too, she'd been slightly upset. Daniel was not someone she could avoid, because the press had already reported the news they would both be at the Ball, and the whole industry was now waiting for the _final showdown._ If she didn't go, she would be considered the coward who couldn't stand the face off.

Not only did she have to go, but she had to look the most fabulous she'd ever looked in her whole life.

She was thinking about this and more, as she zipped up her gown, stepping in front of the full-length mirror in her bedroom. She reached on the nightstand, grabbing the necklace and putting that on too. She turned and looked over her shoulder, checking the back of the dress. Everything looked fine. Still, she wasn't satisfied somehow. Her hair was pulled back, in a high ponytail, leaving just a few curls down to frame the oval of her face. The charcoal black that circled her eyes brought out their shiny color, and the deep red lipstick contributed giving a warmer tone to the overall look. She lifted the gown enough to peek at the white stilettos she was wearing, the only white thing she had actually bothered to wear.

She stepped away from the mirror when she heard the phone ringing. She picked up the receiver and a girl told her that Mr. Paulo Filgueiras was waiting in the car. She told her she'd be down shortly and put the receiver down. She knew the man. She had vague memories of him from her modeling days. His career was taking off, at the time, and she was one of his first top models subject. She smiled, thinking back about the time when the word _top model_ was often linked to her name. It was gratifying.

Her pager went off suddenly. She sighed, cursing the day she'd agreed to getting herself a pager too. She found it in the drawer next to her bed and checked the ID of the caller. _Marc St. James. _She picked up the receiver again and dialed the familiar number. The man on the other end answered immediately.

"Hail to the Queen."

"Marc, what is it?" she asked, holding the receiver in between her shoulder and her cheek. She lifted her leg, balancing the bag on it, and rummaged through it, looking for her BlackBerry. "I'm not exactly available right now."

"I just wanted to tell you Amanda and I have arrived, and…" he lowered his voice, probably not to be heard by the blonde receptionist, "He's here."

She put the leg down and the bag fell on the floor, scattering its content all around. She took a deep breath, pulling herself together. She took the receiver in her hand, kneeling down to recover her things. "Yeah, well…Yeah."

"Yeah," he repeated, in a suspicious tone. "Willie, is that anxiety I'm hearing in your voice?"

"No, that's me trying to multitask." After she'd put everything back in the bag, she stood up again, smoothing her gown. "Who else is there?"

"Almost everyone," he said. "And yes, that includes Mama Meade and the furry little thing."

"She's wearing fur?"

"Actually, I meant Betty."

"Oh, that's a _big _furry thing."

She hung up. She went to the dresser and picked up her keys, powder and lipstick, thrusting everything in the bag. She left the bedroom, turning the lights off. She walked the semi-lit corridor, opening the entrance door. Before closing it she glanced into the darkness she was leaving behind her. If anyone could have seen her, they would have seen the nervousness in her eyes.

***

He was about to be sick. His stomach was slowly eating itself with anxiety. He was continuinually looking around, checking the entrance door, looking over his shoulder. He felt someone tugging at his arm, and looked down to the beautiful woman looking adoringly up to him. If only he could remember her name.

"I'm thirsty," she said, batting her long eyelashes. She was a small brunette, with big baby blue eyes. Altogether, she did look like a baby. She was wearing a pink chiffon dress that made her resemble a big doll.

"I'm going to go and grab something to drink," he said, walking away with a smile. Walking to the buffet table, he held up two glasses to the waiter, who filled them with champagne. He thanked the man and turned around. He allowed himself a few minutes to take in the surroundings again, before going back to his date for the night. The room was so crowded he could barely see the girl anymore. Glamorous women were entering the hall in an ongoing flow, all showing off the latest designer's outfits. He chuckled, noticing no one was wearing white. The walls were white, there were thousands of white flowers around the place, but yet no one had bothered to respect the theme of the night.

"Daniel!"

He tried to see where the voice was coming from, amongst the many people he had in front of him.

"Over here, Daniel!"

He looked to the right and saw Betty waving from the far end of the table. He walked up to her, with a determined pace. When he was close enough, he whispered, "Betty, the girl you suggested to bring as my date…"

"She's cute, isn't she?" she said, interrupting him.

"Yes, did you meet her in a nursery?" he asked sarcastic. Betty snorted, throwing her hands up in the air. Before she could say anything, he spoke, "I'm not saying I'm not thankful, because I am. I was merely stating she's quite a bit younger than me."

"I know, but she's a model! Amanda and I were in the closet, the other day, and we were discussing on who might go with you, and she must have overheard. She said she was available, and she looked cute, I really didn't stop and think about it."

"It's fine," he said, shrugging his shoulders, "It's not like I'll have to marry her. You didn't promise her that, did you?" he added, scared.

"What? No! No, I didn't." Betty patted him on the back. "How are you feeling?"

"I'm good," he said, lying through his teeth.

"Look, there's Wilhelmina!"

He spun around so quickly he staggered. One of the glasses in his hands broke under the pressure of his fingers. He felt his breath quicken, and his heart beat faster. He couldn't see her, but he heard a chuckle behind him. He turned around to see Betty laughing.

"That was not funny!" he said, kneeling down to collect the pieces of shattered glass on the floor. He threw them on the table, and looked at her angrily, standing up. "You think that was funny?"

"It was a bit funny," she replied, suppressing her giggles, "You were so sure of your fearlessness."

He narrowed his eyes and turned his back on her, leaving her by herself. He walked through the crowd, reaching his date and offering her the remaining glass. She took it and winked. He winked back, then he heard a familiar voice.

"Daniel Meade, we thought you were in a cave somewhere!"

He turned around slowly, rolling his eyes. "Hello Suzuki."

The reporter thrust the mic right under his nose, and the cameraman switched on the camera. "You mind answering a few questions?"

He looked around, looking for Betty. Or his mother. Or whomever might help him through this. Not finding anyone, he put a fake smile on and nodded. Suzuki turned to the camera and started talking in his radio voice. "And now, a Fashion TV exclusive, Mode's Editor in chief, Daniel Meade, in his first interview since the news of Wilhelmina Slater's sudden shore crossing!" The little man turned to face him again, his small eyes shining, thinking about all the questions he'd always wanted to make since the big scoop. "It's not a secret you and Wilhelmina's relationship has been a rocky one since the beginning. Now that Wilhelmina's gone, Mode's been living through a rough year. Does that mean Wilhelmina was really the only one who knew what she was doing?"

Daniel narrowed his eyes, upset. He knew Suzuki, so he was expecting something crude, but not quite like that. "Well Suzuki, I wouldn't say so. Wilhelmina was a good resource, but definitely not the only one. My mother and I have put all we had into this magazine, and what happened the past year was just the result of a couple of risky investments. But I assure you Mode is ready to rise above the adversities and…"

That's when he saw her. Whatever he was about to say was long forgotten, his breath was caught in his throat. He was petrified, not a single muscle in his body seemed to respond to his commands. He could do nothing but stay there and watch her, as she came into the room, meters away from him, linked to the arm of someone he could not even focus on. All he could see was her, tall and superior to all the people in the room. The strong white light coming from the big crystal chandelier beamed upon her mocha skin.

Suzuki noticed his sudden stiffening and followed his gaze until he saw Wilhelmina shaking hands not far away. He made a sign to the cameraman, telling him to keep rolling. He turned to Daniel again, and pressed for him to continue. "Daniel?"

Daniel opened his mouth to say something, but he couldn't avert his eyes. She kept shaking a few people's hands, smiling widely. He knew that smile. She was wishing she could be anywhere else but right there. The man who was with her had disappeared with their coats, leaving her to deal with the number of people whose only intent was sucking up. He saw her lift her eyes and meet his. She stood still, too.

He'd always thought people who claimed "It was like there was only the two of us" were extremely cliché, but he couldn't help but think they were right in that same moment. It was as if the other people had stopped talking, as if the music had stopped playing, and his heart had stopped beating. He couldn't say if it was his mind playing tricks on him, but suddenly all the people that were between the two of them moved away, forming some sort of bottleneck. She grinned and started walking towards him.

She was walking slowly, on purpose. Her hips were swaying a little more than usual, her heels were clicking on the hard floor, almost louder than the soft lounge music playing in the background. She licked her lips and lowered her gaze on the floor, watching her feet as she kept walking. When she was in front of him she didn't stop. She stopped by his side and looked to her left, still a malicious smirk painted on her lips. Daniel looked sideways, feeling her shoulder brush against his. He was suddenly very conscious of the cameras still rolling around them. The whispers became louder in his ears and he turned again to face the camera, just as she kept walking, going away.

He started talking again, but he had no idea what he was saying. He launched himself in the prepared speech about financial investments, new opportunities and bold decisions for the new Mode, but his mind was elsewhere.

At some point, he excused himself and abandoned Suzuki and the Fashion TV crew, trying to get away as fast as possible. On his way he found Betty and grabbed her by the elbow, dragging her with him. He opened the first door he found and dragged Betty inside. It was an empty, dim-lit room, with plastic covered furniture. The only light came from a small wall lamp.

He turned to face Betty, who was watching him with a concerned expression.

"Did you see that?" he asked, pointing at the closed door. "Did you see what she's trying to do?"

Betty cast a glance at the door behind her, before looking at him again. She furrowed her brows. "She didn't even say a word to you."

"Exactly!" he yelled.

"Alright, I'm not following you."

"She came towards me, and everyone was looking at us. She stopped this close to me, she looked at me for God's sake, but she didn't open that damned mouth!" he explained, pacing around the room. "Don't you see how that makes me look? It's as if she has the upper hand! She's the one who gets to decide whether we speak to each other or not."

"I think that's all in your head, Daniel," Betty said, giving him an almost pitiful look. "Listen, she's probably just trying to get under your skin. She wants you to freak out, and you're just letting her win this if you do."

"I'm. Not. Freaking. Out." He didn't realize it, but he was shouting, and if anyone would have happened to walk in front of that room, they would have heard all they were saying.

"Clearly not," Betty replied, rolling her eyes. "You need to calm down, and look at this from a different perspective. Take this as a chance to show her she has no power over you anymore."

"She never did."

Betty's eyebrows shot up so high they almost disappeared under her hairline. "Seriously."

"Ok, maybe a bit."

The door opened wide without a warning, and Marc and Amanda burst in yelling at each other, neither acknowledging the presence of two people in the room.

"I can't believe you!" Amanda yelled, massaging her right temple. "I thought you'd asked me to go to this White Ball with you to apologize!"

"Mandy, you can't keep this up, you need to think about your career! I'm only trying to help you, here!" Marc said. However, he stopped immediately upon seeing Betty and Daniel in the room, both looking at them bewildered. Amanda followed his gaze and saw the two coworkers. She immediately flew to Betty's side.

"You know Marc, I don't like this. I don't like this at all," she said, shaking her head and linking her arm to Betty's.

"What's going on?" asked Daniel, chiming in, shifting his stare between Amanda and Marc. The boy looked at him, narrowing his eyes with disgust.

"He wants me to go to Elle," Amanda explained, the hurt in her voice so clear that Betty was once again surprised by her loyalty to the magazine.

Daniel walked up to Marc, with a challenging look in his eyes. "You're not going to start working behind my back again, neither you or your boss."

"Funny enough, it was your and your mother's working behind her back that got you in this situation."

It took him a few seconds to digest what Marc had said. It was true. Claire had been what had driven Wilhelmina away from Mode. It was Claire's threat to fire her that pushed her in the arms of the enemy. But he, he never would have done anything like that. He didn't like Wilhelmina, but he'd learnt she was the best in the business, and he would have never fired her. It was his mother's fault.

"I never…"

"Daniel."

The four of them turned to look at the door, where Claire was now standing, suspiciously studying the unlikely group. She took a few steps inside the room, leaving the door open behind her.

"Marc, I would like to remind you all of your boss' vices and deeds. She seduced my husband, she tried to send him to prison, she tried to send Alexis to jail and have her sentenced to life. She did all she could to tear this family apart, and take something that wasn't hers. We don't owe her anything. The only thing she's ever offered to the company is bad publicity and gossip."

Marc pressed his lips together.

"And one more thing," Claire added, walking until she stood by Daniel's side. "Mode might be going down, but at least I know I can count on everyone in the office, and I know no one will try and stab my back mercilessly. For the first time in that office, there's trust."

"Touching."

For the second time, they all turned to see who had spoken. This time, everyone had recognized the voice as soon as they'd heard it. Daniel's blood froze in his veins. He moved to the left to see her coming in.

Wilhelmina Slater.

"What a lovely speech," she said, with a wide smile. Then she turned to Claire and said, "Why didn't anyone call me? I'd love to take a trip down the memory lane with all of you."

Everyone was silent. Amanda's grip on Betty's arm tightened, positively hindering her circulation. Claire was livid, and looked as if she was ready to attack the woman. Daniel, on his part, was so pale he almost matched the white color of the wall behind them.

Wilhelmina stood by Marc's side, her hands on her hips, his head tilted mockingly to the right. She looked at each one of the people standing opposite her, leaving Daniel for last. When she laid her eyes on him, her taunting smirk faltered.

"Daniel," she said, "I thought you'd flown the country."

"You wish," he snapped back.

Betty elbowed him in the ribs. Wilhelmina didn't miss the movement and her grin grew wider.

"I'm not really that interested, actually," she said, raising a brow. "I suggest we all go back to the main room."

"Why?" Daniel spoke up, taking a step forward, "Are you scared they'll think you're a backstabbing snake? I assure you already did a good job all by yourself."

Wilhelmina took a step forward, looking him up and down. "I'm afraid flattery won't get you anywhere. But thank you, that was very sweet of you."

"You used to say you cared about Mode."

As soon as Betty heard those words, she took a deep breath. "I think we should go," she said, dragging Amanda with her. Marc took a step back, then turned around and left the room.

Claire drew dangerously close to Wilhelmina, looking down on her. She stood tall, opposite her, for a second, before leaving the room. Before going away, she turned to look one more time at her son and his enemy.

Wilhelmina and Daniel were the only two people remaining in the room. He knew he'd stepped over the line when he'd questioned her love for Mode. Despite everything, he'd always known how much she'd cared for that magazine, how her soul and heart swelled with pride for each issue, how much of her life she'd spent in those offices, trying to make sure everything was perfect. That's why when she spoke, with her voice calm and even, he felt guilty.

"I cared about Mode. I cared about it so much I wasted my whole life trying to keep it floating. I gave up on everything. I lost my daughter, because she felt neglected. I lost my parents, because they never liked what I'd become because of Mode. I lost my sister because…I lost my sister. And I lost the only man I ever loved, because after all I'd been through there was not a trace of humanity left in me. Don't say I never cared about Mode. I cared too much, Daniel."

Daniel felt a weight on his shoulder, with each word she said. It was almost as if she'd just unloaded all of the burdens of her life upon him, and he felt like he was drowning in her sorrow. Still her face showed no emotion. She was the perfect picture of indifference.

He cleared his throat, desperately wanting to say something appropriate. Something witty, smart, straightforward.

"Why did you walk away, then?" was all he could say. He meant what he'd said. The Wilhelmina Slater he'd known would have never surrendered to his mother's threats. The Wilhelmina he knew would have fought against it.

"Your mother wanted me out of there. And frankly, Daniel, I was tired," she said. "I _am _tired. I don't have the energy to fight to have what I deserve. I'm too tired to be the bad guy."

"I thought we were reaching a point where you had been granted what you deserved, at Mode." He didn't know why he was being soft, and condescending. He probably just needed to know why they were in that situation, after all those years when he'd thought she would always be there. "I tried to call you, after I heard you'd left, you know."

"Sometimes it's better not to pick up the phone, Daniel. You'll learn that with experience."

She crossed her arms and turned around. When she was on the threshold, he couldn't help but tell her what he'd wanted to tell her all along.

"I wouldn't have let her."

She turned around, confused. "What?"

"You said my mother would have fired you anyway," he explained, "I wouldn't have let her."

She blinked, taken aback by the admission. She let her arms fall down her sides, and sighed. She nodded, and left.

He lowered his gaze and asked himself whether things would ever get better. All he knew was that without Wilhelmina, Mode would never make it.

***

As soon as she reached the hall, where the party was now in the middle of its development, she immediately felt an arm circle her waist. She turned around and found herself staring into her date's eyes. Paulo was handsome, but not as handsome as Connor was. He had a boyish expression most of the time, something the tuxedo could not conceal.

"Where have you been?" he asked, smiling.

"Working the room," she answered, with a tired smile. "You know how these things work."

"Yeah," he whispered. He moved closer and when she was close enough, he moved a lock of hair from her face. "I say we should go. We did all we had to do, for the sake of public relations."

Wilhelmina took his hand and freed herself, looking around. She had never liked PDA's, especially on formal occasions, and the man clearly had no clue of what decency was. Yet, she had to admit her body was reacting to his words in a way she had not experienced in a long time.

She nodded.

"I'll go grab the coats," he said, quickly moving out of sight. She sighed and looked around once more. No one seemed to have noticed their exchange, but when she turned around her eyes met Daniel's, across the room. He was talking to a girl, a small brunette, but his eyes were transfixed on hers. She read the melancholy over his features, and tilted her head to the right, trying to decipher his behavior.

"Shall we?"

She turned around again and let Paulo help her put her coat on. He put his hand on the small of her back and guided her towards the exit. She cast a glance over her shoulders and met Daniel's eyes once again. She winked, and he smiled in reply, for the first time in their lives.

As Paulo hurried her outside the building, never leaving her side, she kept thinking about what Daniel had said to her. She wondered whether he really would have sided with her against his own mother, or if those were just empty words spoken in a moment of crisis. Somehow, she wanted to believe him, she wanted to believe he had finally acknowledged her worth.

The town car pulled up in front of them and Paulo opened the door for her to go in. She did, and he followed, slamming the door closed. She turned around to snap at him, but her words were cut off by Paulo's lips crashing down on hers. For a moment, she was stunned, but soon she responded to the kiss, parting her lips and letting his tongue invade her mouth. She felt his hands on her thighs, feverishly lifting the fabric of the gown to touch her.

She circled his waist with her arms, pulling him closer, moving in the seat 'til she had her back against the car door and her legs on the leather fabric. He was standing directly above her and pulled behind her knee to bend it. She felt a sharp pain in her back as the handle behind her hit her spine. She moaned, but never stopped kissing the man. He assumed that had been just a moan of pleasure, which spurred him to go further.

His lips descended on her neck, and she circled his neck to keep him there. He sucked on the soft skin he found, tracing her collarbone and letting his lips trace the curve of her one-shouldered neckline, from her right shoulder to her right breast. She pulled at the hem of his shirt, letting her hands caress his muscular back. She felt the muscles twitch under her touch.

Suddenly, a flash brought back memories from the night, and she found herself remembering Daniel's piercing blue eyes again. She felt a rush of anger surge through her.

"Ouch!"

She was pulled back into the present by the annoyed sound and looked at the man who had just yelled.

"You…You scratched me." She raised a brow. "You scratched me hard," he repeated, trying to justify himself. The surprised expression was soon replaced by a mischievous grin. He leaned in, whispering into her ear, "I always knew you liked it rough."

She kissed him again, but deep down in her heart she knew Daniel Meade was the reason she had just drawn blood on a perfectly fine man.


	4. Chapter 4

When Wilhelmina woke the next morning she found that the gnawing feeling in the pit of her stomach had not dissipated. She had wrongly assumed that the sensations she felt at the ball last night was simply due to her body craving contact from the man on her arm. In the light of day, however, although her carnal desires had been satisfied the twisting feeling in her gut remained. She realised that she hadn't been lusting after Paulo at all. She hadn't been horny, she had been unhappy. She still was.

She stared across to the empty side of her bed. She hadn't allowed Paulo to stay, dear God no, she had barely allowed him to get redressed before she aimed him out the door. Between that and the deep gouges she had left on his back she supposed she wouldn't be hearing from him again. She had been wrong though. Mere minutes later he left a voicemail for her, she barely listened as he threw words like 'sexy' and 'mind blowing' in his message.

_Dear God_, she thought. _Did he call from the elevator? Play it cool man._

She had no desire to see him again, but she wouldn't rule it out if she had another itch to scratch or another ex colleague to piss off.

She closed her eyes as she relived the moment she had been reunited with Daniel and his little entourage. She had remained dignified, in control and definitely maintained the upper hand. Leaving him stammering in front of Fashion Buzz should have given her an ego boost but when she thought back it only increased the tightening feeling inside.

Still staring at the empty side of her bed she allowed her mind to wander to Connor. She could see the look on his face when he had been sentenced and how it had been nothing compared to the crushed look he had when she told him she wouldn't wait for him, when she walked away from him. Leaving Connor had been the right thing to do, she knew, but was she feeling so awful because she missed him? Because she hurt him? As her mind tried to work through it she realised then feeling in her abdomen had lessened. She knew it wasn't Connor she missed.

It was Mode.

xXx

'Paulo Filgueiras…. Paulo Filgueiras?!' Daniel was pacing in front of Betty's desk and shouting.

'Yes Daniel, Paulo Filgueiras.' Betty answered, bored, because Daniel had been at this for twenty minutes now.

'Do you know how long I've been trying to land him for this magazine?!'

'Years.' Betty's voice was monotone and her head was slumped on her curled arm on her desk.

'Years!' He continued as if he hadn't heard her.

'Daniel....'

'And then she just waltzes right in with him drooling over her like an idiot, you can bet your ass she landed him last night if you know what I mean. And another thing...'

'Daniel!!' Her raised voice broke his train of thought and he stopped pacing.

'I get it ok Daniel. She bailed on the magazine, she took the best designers and photographers and yes she's probably sleeping with the photographer you've been trying to get for the cover but can I ask you something?'

He shrugged.

'Why do you care?'

'_Why do I care? _Betty, the magazine, the company is falling apart!'

'Exactly, so why are you focusing on what Wilhelmina Slater is doing rather than trying to save it?'

'I'm not.'

'Yes you are Daniel, ever since I told you I bumped into her nearly every sentence out your mouth is about Wilhelmina.'

'I want to fix the company I do, I just...never mind.'

Betty stood up and walked round to face her boss. 'What Daniel, you can tell me.'

He ran a hand over his face and stared at the floor. Taking a deep breath he looked back up at Betty. 'I just don't think we can do it without her.'

xXx

Amanda sat at her circular reception desk sighing loudly every time someone walked past hoping they would ask her what was wrong. That particular tactic only ever worked on one person and that was the one person who was responsible for her current mood, Marc.

'Any messages for me?'

Amanda looked up to see Clare tapping her hand against the desk.

'Huh...oh no sorry.'

'Is everything alright Amanda?'

'Yeah, sure, why'd you ask?'

'Oh it's just that I've been standing here for ten minutes and every time I ask for my messages you sighed in my face.'

'Mrs Meade, I'm so confused...and angry...and betrayed...and...hungry, where did I put that Twinkie?'

She started rooting around the desk, looking under papers and in the trash can.

'Amanda.'

She snapped her head back up. 'Yeah?'

'Confused, angry, betrayed? I thought people stopped feeling that the minute Wilhelmina left the building. Does uh, does she have anything to do with this?'

'No not her...her curly haired, Gucci wearing, man loving minion.'

'Ah.'

Amanda ran round the side of the desk and grabbed onto Clare's forearms. 'Mrs Meade, he wants me to come to Elle. I told him no and he took me to the White Ball and then he asked me again. I know he used to do some awful, wrong, potentially psychologically scarring things for Wilhelmina but I thought now he was an editor and free from her that he'd stopped all that but now they're trying to poach people from Mode. We're already crashing, why are they rubbing salt in the wounds?'

Clare smirked. 'Well kicking a man when they're down is ultimately Wilhelmina's style.'

Amanda smiled sadly and dipped her head; Clare raised a hand to Amanda's chin and raised her head until she was looking in her eyes.

'But it's not Marc's.'

'You think?'

Clare nodded. 'Look, I appreciate your loyalty to Mode, we all do, but you're right, the magazine is crashing and Marc knows this. It sounds to me like he's trying to help a friend.'

'But I don't wanna leave Mode.'

'Who says you have to? Explain to him why you want to stay, give him one more chance. He misses you.'

'I miss him too. I've no one else who understands how high maintenance I am, no one else to laugh at the interns with, no one else to walk around in my new high heels to stretch them out for me.'

'Call him Amanda; you can still be loyal to Mode and friends with Marc.'

Amanda smiled. 'Thank you.'

Clare smiled and squeezed her hand before walking away.

Amanda ran back round to her seat and tried to call Marc, she got his voicemail. She decided to go round and take him for lunch. Taking off her headset, she grabbed the first person who walked past her desk.

'You're in charge.'

She began running down the tube to the elevator.

'Amanda I'm busy!'

'Sorry Betty, gotta run!'

xXx

Willie was sitting at her desk, updating the Elle book. Closing it, she stroked her hand over the black leather book with the white lettering, missing her old white and orange bible. Her reminiscing of Mode was cut short by Robbie Myers storming into her office.

'What the hell Willie!'

'I generally prefer "Good morning" or "how are you?" but I suppose your greeting works just as well.'

'What the hell did you agree to with Richard Warren?'

'I gave him free reign and can the attitude, without me the moron would never have signed.'

'Free reign huh? Then why do I have to junior editors pissing their pants with excitement because Ryan Gosling and Rachel McAdams are coming in for a shoot!'

Willie shook her head. 'Oh relax Robbie, your straining so hard the filler in your lips is about to burst. I made a stupid joke about The Notebook to test the guy. The idiot would put The Simpsons on the cover if I wanted it.'

Robbie calmed down, apparently embarrassed by her outburst. 'Oh...right...well. Well just make sure everything is cleared though me.' Her voice began rising again trying to regain control in the room.

Robbie turned on her heel and left.

'Not so fast Myers.'

Wilhelmina rose from her chair as Robbie halted at the door. 'You screwed up the first shoot, you ask me to get Robert Warren to sign, I got him to sign. This is my shoot, my chance to rectify your mess. I will not be running anything by you.'

'This is my magazine Wilhelmina.'

'Uh-uh darling, ours. I was drafted in as Co-Editor in Chief remember? I have just as much say as you. I am not Joe Zee; I will not take orders, demands or criticism, even if it's constructive. I know it was you who called me to offer me this position, but don't pretend it was your idea. I was brought here to help you, guess the big cheese thought you couldn't handle it yourself anymore huh?'

Robbie's nostrils fared and jaw clenched before she stomped from the room.

Wilhelmina walked back to the desk, slumped in her seat and sighed. That little run in should have lifted her spirits but it didn't. She was sick of clashing with Robbie, she was far harder to steamroller than Daniel had been. In the last few months of working at Meade, however, she hadn't had to battle him as much. The two of them agreeing more, their ideas becoming more in sync, the pair of them banded together to try and save their beloved magazine.

Elle wasn't her home, hell, home wasn't her home. She still commanded respect in the halls of Elle, could still smell the fear of the editors and interns alike, but it didn't smell as sweet as it had at Mode. She had built Mode, sacrificed everything for Mode. When everything was falling down round about her it was Mode that pulled her through the other side. She had put everything she had into the magazine; she was sure that her blood, sweat and tears would forever be engrained in the walls of those offices. Mode had been her home.

If she wasn't so sad she would laugh at how pathetic she was being. It was as if Mode was a living, breathing person and that person had died. She thought she had finished grieving but just like you never truly get over losing someone you love, she would never truly get over Mode. That was the main reason she couldn't bear to hear anything to do with the company. To hear the magazine was bombing crushed her, but the mere fact it was carrying on without her pained her more than she would ever tell. It was like breaking up with the love of your life and finding out they're happy before you are. It sounded ridiculous even in her own head, Mode wasn't a person. She hadn't lost family or a lover. She had lost everything.

She was removed from her thoughts by a gentle tapping on her door. Marc was leaning against her doorframe, his head lolling sadly.

'Can I come in?'

'Why not?'

He sat in the seat opposite her and leaned back, drumming his hands on the arms of the chair.

'Do you have an actual need to see me or are you just here to beat out tunes on my furniture?'

'Just wanted to chat.'

'Chat? Marc, we don't chat. We scheme, we plot, we ridicule.'

'We used to, now we chat.'

'Fine, what do you want?'

'Don't you miss it?'

'What?'

'The scheming, the plotting, the ridiculing?'

'No.' she lied

'Liar.'

'I got what I wanted Willie, we both did. You have equal power in a top high fashion magazine and with the way Robbie's been performing recently I'd say soon you'll have total power. I'm no longer just an assistant. I'm an Editor with my own office, assistant and a kick ass apartment. I've got it all.'

'Yes you do Marc, and although I may not say or show it often, you deserve it.'

'So why am I miserable?'

'What?'

'I miss Mode.' He said quietly.

She didn't respond, just continued to stare at him as he continued.

'I know it sounds stupid but I feel like someone's died.'

She tried to hide a smirk as he put her own thoughts into words.

'Do you miss it?'

'No.' she lied for the second time.

'You're lying again.' He smiled. 'After 5 years as your assistant I know your tell.'

'Okay fine, sometimes. In my weaker moments I have missed it...a little.'

'A little? I miss everything. I miss the colours, I miss the smells. I miss me and you plotting our way to the top, I miss mocking Betty, I miss the hot UPS guy who delivers our packages, I miss...'

'Amanda.'

'Yeah...I think I miss her the most.'

Wilhelmina pointed to a spot over Marc's shoulder. 'No Marc, I mean, Amanda.'

Marc turned round to see Amanda standing at Wilhelmina's office door, smiling.

'Okay Mr St James, I've decided to forgive you. I know you were just being a good friend, or something just as sappy, but no more trying to get me to leave Mode. I'm happy there, I don't know what I would do without the place and from what I just heard you don't feel so different. So no more trying to steal me away agreed?'

'Agreed.'

'Good, now I want one of those cupcakes and a large glass of champagne please.'

Marc smiled and ran to Amanda, hugging her close and lifting her from the ground. Wilhelmina rolled her eyes to the heavens.

'Please take your version of make up sex out of my office.' She said sternly, but she was smiling.

xXx

Amanda arrived back at Mode, much happier and slightly tipsy. She was glad she was speaking to Marc again; it had been awful when she couldn't talk to him every day, like her arm was missing or something. After talking with him she now knew he wasn't as happy at Elle as he had let on and neither was Wilhelmina. She also knew if she breathed a word of that to anyone in Mode she would be on welfare for life. Skipping back to her desk she saw an angry man standing there. He looked like he just walked out of a GQ cover...but mad.

'Does anyone work in this place?!' He bellowed.

'Sorry, my junior receptionist Betty Suarez must have taken an unauthorized break. Feel free to take her name and make an official complaint.'

'I am not a receptionist!' rang Betty's voice from somewhere in the distance.

'Delusions of grandeur.' She whispered to the man.

'Whatever, look, I have been sent down here by Ralph Laurens advertising reps. Their contract is up for renewal and they are concerned with Mode's current sales. I am here to advise you a meeting needs to be scheduled urgently as we are seriously considering giving our advertising to another magazine.'

'You came all the way down here just to tell us that, why didn't you call.'

He clenched his fists by his sides and closed his eyes in frustration. 'I did. But nobody was answering the phone! And as this could result in Ralph Lauren leaving and your magazine is already in the throes of financial ruin I thought I would give you a break and come down and tell you in person so that the contract wasn't terminated because of the incompetence of some receptionist.'

'Oh I know, Betty's hopeless. Look Mr man, please don't leave. Mode is going to come back bigger and better than ever.'

'It's not my decision. There's already another magazine vying for a larger contract from us. Your bosses will need to meet with their bosses and my bosses, and my bosses will decide which magazine gets the contact based on their sales pitch.'

Amanda knew the answer to this question before she even asked it. 'Which magazine?'

'Elle.'

xXx

Wilhelmina was striding around Robbie's office, obviously pissed.

'We don't need a larger contract Robbie, Ralph Lauren has enough ad space as it is.'

'It's not about what we need Wilhelmina, it's about what Mode needs and what we don't want them to have.'

'We have literally no more space in this magazine to give them any more pages.'

'We'll make room, there are plenty of small time designers we can edge out.'

'Let me get this straight. You would remove up and coming designers ad's, ad's that will get them noticed and help further their career, just to stick it to Mode?'

'Well wouldn't you, after what happened.'

'No Robbie I wouldn't. We won okay, Mode is on the skids and we're on top of the freaking world. Why add insult to injury it's just tacky.'

'It's happening so just deal with it Willie.'

Wilhelmina knew she wouldn't win this one after her little spat with Robbie earlier.

'Fine, when is the meeting?'

'Friday at two.'

'What time will they be here.'

'They won't.'

Wilhelmina narrowed her eyes at Robbie.

'Oh please don't tell me what I think you're telling me!'

'It's at Mode.'

'You've got to be kidding me! Well I'm taking Marc with me, if I have to go back in that place I'll need someone to stop me giving Clare Meade a lobotomy with the stiletto of my Manolo's '

'Look Willie, I understand if you don't want to be the one to go to the meeting.'

Willie threw her hands up in the air, unable to comprehend Robbie's stupidity.

'No Robbie, it has to be me and you know it.'

xXx

Friday 1.30pm

'It will be her and you know it!'

'Daniel calm down it might not be.'

Daniel shot Betty a look.

'Look Daniel , it could just as easily be Robbie Myers or their new Creative Director or, you know, one of the thirty something Editors. In fact, I'd go as far to say it definitely won't be her.'

'It will Betty.'

'It won't!'

'Actually, it will.'

Both Betty and Daniel turned around to face Amanda who had just entered the office. Daniel exhaled loudly.

'It is?'

Amanda nodded. 'I just could a call from the lobby to say Ms Slater and Mr St James have arrived.'

'She's here already!?' Daniel exclaimed.

'Marc's here! YAY!' Betty squealed before turning to Daniels ashen face. 'Sorry.'

Just then Clare came bustling into the office. 'Okay lets go meet and greet Wilhelmina.'

'How did you know she was here?' Daniel asked puzzled.

'The temperature dropped.' She answered without missing a beat.

Daniel turned to Betty. 'Okay, let's get this over with.'

He walked from his office, Betty, his mom and Amanda behind him. He came to a halt at the tube. There she was, poised at the opposite end, Marc by her side as always. The two parties stood still and Daniel numbly registered that this was reminiscent of her return after his fathers death. As if on cue they began walking towards each other. There were no false pleasantries as they met in the middle this time.

'Let's get this over with.' Wilhelmina said by way of greeting and then she and Marc slipped past the foursome and into the conference room.

Daniel, Betty and Clare followed them in and Amanda tried to peer in inconspicuously, which was easier said than done in a room made of glass. Daniel was mildly amused to see that Wilhelmina had walked straight to the seat she had always occupied during meetings. Marc sat down next to her and placed Elle's portfolio's and sales figures on the desk. He and Wilhelmina immediately began sorting through them. Eager to avoid looking at them, Daniel turned around and focussed on the boards the accounting team had set up for him and began animatedly talking to Betty about them.

Wilhelmina was glad Daniel was not trying to make small talk or antagonize her because she didn't trust her voice to work right now. She could feel her throat constricting the minute she had stepped into the Meade building. The tightening in her stomach was back with so much vengeance it was lucky she didn't eat or she would have decorated the desk in front of her. Worse than that, though, was the crushing sadness she felt about being back inside these walls, observing the running of the office and knowing she had nothing to do with it. If Daniel had bothered to look closely he would have seen her eyes shifting wildly, her hand not quite steady and the constant biting of her lips. Marc, however, had noticed.

'Can I get you some water Willie?'

She nodded in response, her mouth too dry to form words. Marc walked to the small refrigerator and brought a bottle of water to Willie. Noticing the exchange, Clare decided to but in.

'You know, Marc, you don't have to do that anymore, she's got legs. You're not her assistant anymore.'

'No you're right I'm not. I'm her friend.'

Wilhelmina smiled a little at the man in front of her, thankful for his words and also for the fact that he had distracted Clare while she necked three quarters of the bottle just to get her mouth in gear again. Clare, suitably chastised by Marc, turned to Wilhelmina.

'What's the matter Willie, no scathing put down today or have you had your skin pulled so tight it's hard to form a coherent sentence?'

'No dear, it's just so many things spring to mind when I look at you, it's hard to pick just one.'

'Ooh, getting rusty are we?'

'Not as much as your geriatric joints.'

Clare smiled. 'There we go.'

'Can we get started please?' Daniel asked, trying to take charge of the situation.

'Uh Daniel, isn't it customary to wait for the people who requested the meeting.' Asked Wilhelmina with a thoroughly condescending tone.

'Huh...oh...what...yeah...I mean we should get ...uh...ready for them.' He mumbled, stumbling over his faux-pas.

Amanda chose this moment to re-enter the room. 'Daniel, they're here.'

Daniel and Betty walked down the tube to greet the advertisers. Daniel was used to dealing with reps by now. Out of the three of four people the designers sent he could always pick out the one he had to suck up to. He was prepared for that, what he was not prepared for was the entourage that was currently walking towards him, there were at least twelve people. Looking bewildered as they filed past him into the conference room he numbly shook the hand of the last man to enter.

'Uh, isn't this a bit overkill for a sales pitch?'

'Oh well as soon as word got round the office that this was a face-off between you and Wilhelmina there was suddenly a whole lot more interest in this meeting.' The man said smiling wickedly before following his colleagues inside.

'Great...just great.'

Daniel and Betty followed them inside in time to see Wilhelmina and Marc greeting each one of them by name, switching between Italian, French and English depending on who they were talking too.

_Of course she knows them all by name. _He thought. _God she's good at this, ten seconds in and she's already got them on her side._

It was true, each person was talking animatedly to Wilhelmina when they got their chance, she was so smooth, slick, she had each of them believing she actually gave a damn what they had to say. Daniel turned to his mother who tried to smile supportively but he could see the worry in her eyes. It was clear these people loved her, no animosity towards her would be tolerated. Daniel could see the contract slipping away before his eyes.

They all took their places sat around the table, no one speaking for several seconds. Daniel felt a sharp kick to his shin from Betty under the table.

'Oh! Thank you for coming in, we appreciate you giving us the chance to redeem ourselves. If you care to take a look at the booklet in front of you, you will see the projected sales for the next quarter.'

'Marc.' Wilhelmina interjected and Marc took this as his queue to pass out the same details for Elle.

The room was quiet except for the rustling of papers. Daniel took this opportunity to steal a glance at Wilhelmina. He was taken aback as he noticed how distracted she seemed. He had been in enough meetings with her to know when she was on her A game. Now, however, she looked so distant, her eyes glazed, hand tapping on the glass. Was she really not interested or was this another classic Willie moment, showing him she had to do next to nothing to win this deal.

'Mr Meade?' One of the reps had finished perusing the figures.

'Yes.'

'Your highest projected sales for the next quarter aren't even as high as Elle's lowest one. And a great number of your advertisers have already jumped ship.'

'Yes well as you can see this is a process. We have had a hard year and it will take time to get there but we're confident we can get back on top.'

'Oh so you have a plan do you? Would you care to share that with us, after all we are talking about a great deal of money here, we want to be sure it's going to be worth it.'

Daniel faltered. 'Oh well...we uh, you can appreciate I can't really talk about it, not in front of competition.' He answered, indicating Wilhelmina.

The man seated in front of him smirked. 'I thought so, you have nothing. I don't think we need to hear anymore, Elle can guarantee us a much larger audience.'

Betty suddenly felt her cell phone vibrate and discretely brought it out of her pocket. It was a text from Wilhelmina. _Why the hell is she sending me a message, she's in the same freaking room._

Opening it she saw it contained only two words. "Ad placement."

Looking across to Wilhelmina she met her stare and Wilhelmina widened her eyes and gave a slight nod of her head. Betty turned her head subtly and whispered to Daniel. 'Ad placement.'

Daniel's head shot up as if a light bulb had just went off. 'Ad placement!' He shouted.

'Ad placement. You said yourself, a lot of our advertisers have left, your ads would have prominence in Mode, we could give you any placement in the magazine you want.'

'Well that's hardly going to inspire me, I'm sure we could reach the same arrangement at Elle.' He looked towards Wilhelmina who shrugged.

'I'm sure we could squeeze you in next to our sample pages.'

'_Squeeze?_ Excuse me?'

'Well we've already got four double spreads from Ralph Lauren. We can't exactly dedicate any more space, make our readers look at the same boring ads all the way through the magazine.'

'_Boring?'_ The man was incredulous.

'Plus I can't guarantee front or back inside covers, we're trying to keep them a tad more high brand, you know Gucci, Prada, but Elle would certainly love to feature some extra advertising. There's a couple of half pages near the back I'm not happy with.'

The man stood from his seat in a heartbeat and extended his hand to Daniel. 'Mr Meade you have yourself a deal. Ralph Lauren is on board for another 3 months.'

Daniel shook his hand enthusiastically. 'Thank you.'

The assembled men and women from Ralph Lauren all stood and left, each one drawing Wilhelmina a look as they did.

Wilhelmina stood and grabbed her purse, a confused Marc gathering up all the paraphernalia they had brought. As they made to leave they were blocked by a smug looking Daniel and Clare.

'Well guess the bitchy, beat them down tactic's wearing a bit thin.' Clare said smiling jubilantly.

'Look...' Wilhelmina began.

'No you look.' Daniel interrupted, 'You swan in here so damn sure of yourself, so damn sure that Elle will wipe the floor with Mode that it wouldn't matter what you said or did in that room. You forget that some people are capable of compassion, have integrity and I think that was just proved in there. So I think you should run back to Elle with your forked tail between your legs and make someone elses life hell for a change!'

Wilhelmina looked him dead in the eye, nostrils flaring, eyes narrowed and leaned in close. 'I think the words you're looking for are "Thank you Wilhelmina."'

She spun round and left, Marc running behind her into the elevator. Marc shook his head, smiling.

'You did that on purpose didn't you?'

'No.'

'Yes you did, you just helped save Mode.'

'Shut up Marc!'

xXx

'Thank you? Why would I say thank you to her of all people?'

Betty handed Daniel her cell phone and his face fell as he looked at the message on it.

'Why would she do that?'

Betty shrugged.

'Why would she help me, she hates me.'

'I think she did it for Mode Daniel.' Betty said quietly.

'But she's done with Mode, she's happy at Elle.'

They heard someone clear their throat behind them, both turned to see Amanda.

'No...she's not.'


	5. Chapter 5

"And that's what Marc told me, but if he finds out I spilled it out to you he will kill me. Or worse, he'll cut my hair."

Amanda immediately brought a hand up to her hair and looked adoringly at the strand she was twirling around her finger. Claire had a triumphant expression painted all over her face, and she grabbed Daniel's shoulder, shaking him.

"Son, don't you understand the meaning of this?" she stated, joyously. "We can use her unhappiness, we can twist the situation until she's so sick of it she'll quit her job!"

"Frankly, mum, I don't see how that would help us," he said, shrugging his mother's hand off his shoulder and distancing himself from her.

"Daniel, if she leaves Elle, that magazine will have nothing!"

"But neither do we, mum!" he bellowed. "Why is it so difficult for you to understand that the problem is not where Wilhelmina is, but where she _wants _to be!? Why do you think we lost our readers and advertisers? Because we pushed her out!"

Betty timidly chimed in. "Technically, she's the one who walked away."

"Yeah, right. Like she-"he pointed towards Claire, "…she wouldn't have fired her? Everyone sees us as the monsters who forced the _great _Wilhelmina Slater to quit!"

"So now it's my fault?" Claire shouted in return. "All I did was cover your shoulder, to be sure that snake wouldn't hurt more of my family!"

"She wasn't going to! We had reached an agreement, we were _working _on things! She was _helping _me, mum!"

Betty and Amanda took a step back while the two Meades kept yelling at each other. Amanda leaned in closer to Betty, and whispered in her ear. "If she kills him, I want to keep his ashes."

Betty rolled her eyes and turned her attention back to the screaming match played before their eyes.

"I'm sorry if I tried to protect you from the woman who tore my family apart, Daniel. Next time she tries and stab you in the back, shall I just hand her the knife?"

"Oh, don't play the protection card, you know you just hate Wilhelmina and you wanted her out of here!" Daniel grabbed his jacket and spun around, heading towards the lifts. "I need a break."

"Daniel, come back!" Claire shouted after him. "We're not done, yet!"

But he was gone.

Claire grabbed her chest and looked painfully to the glass walls. She looked down and shook her head.

"I can't believe this."

Betty drew closer and spoke with a soft comforting tone. "I'm sure he didn't mean what he said. He's been on edge all day."

"Is it my fault, Betty?" Claire asked her, facing her. "Did I let my hatred for Wilhelmina cloud my judgment to the point where I couldn't see she was actually helping us?"

Betty bit her lip before answering. "I wouldn't say so."

"Well, I would."

Claire and Betty both turned to look at Amanda, who was innocently sitting on the big circular table, with her legs crossed, looking at her nails. Noticing the silence, she looked up and saw the two women staring at her.

"Oh," she said, jumping down. "What I was trying to say is…You see, I notice a lot of things from my desk. I'm not one to brag, but I practically own the place…"

"Amanda."

"Yes. As I was saying, my desk is a good observation point, and I had the chance to see the way they were working together in the last months before Wilhelmina's departure. Well, do you remember there was a time when they were always contradicting each other? What I saw in the last period was just the opposite. They actually agreed on things. For example, once, they were both in the closet, looking at the options for the November cover. I was hidden next to the accessories department, because I was eating a carrot, and I didn't want to give people the impression I eat something that contains that much sugar because-"

"AMANDA." Claire and Betty said in unison.

"Ok, ok, I'm getting there. Way to kill the suspense. Anyway. They were watching outfits together, and I peeked, and I saw Daniel pointing a jacket, and- wait, here comes the major creepiness,- I saw Wilhelmina smile, and she said she liked it too, and that he was getting better. I couldn't see anything more because I nearly choked on my carrot and I had to run to the restroom. I was afraid I'd ended up in a _Twilight zone _sort of situation."

Claire looked worried. Betty looked at Amanda for a second before excusing herself. She reached her desk and sat down, holding her head in her hands. When she looked up she saw Claire Meade sitting at Daniel's desk, looking upset.

Who would have said, four years before, that Wilhelmina Slater's absence would have affected all of them to the point that even the mighty Claire Meade would be wondering if she'd done the right thing driving her away.

***

"Care to explain, Willie?"

As she stood in Robbie's office, she wondered how much more she could endure.

"I told you we had enough advertisers, Robbie," she stated casually.

"And I told you I wanted the Ralph Lauren reps to pull out of Mode."

"Yeah, well, I want to live in Saint-Tropez and I want pigs to be able to fly. Can you do that for me?"

Robbie stood up, leaning over the desk. "You think you're a smart ass, don't you Willie?"

"My ass is absolutely fine, thanks for asking."

"Your ass is absolutely _fake_," Robbie snapped back.

"Said the only woman with a nose faker than Michael Jackson's."

Robbie circled the desk until they were standing face to face.

"I got a call from Stephan, at Ralph Lauren, and he told me you were rude and totally unprofessional. What's gotten into you? That's not like you at all," Robbie stated, concerned.

"Look at you, acting like you actually give a damn."

"Wilhelmina, I won't say you're my best friend, but you're my partner, and it's my magazine we're talking about.

Wilhelmina looked down before staring defiantly into Robbie's eyes.

"Ours," she hissed. "We didn't need more ad's. That was _my _opinion on the matter, and since _I _was in that meeting I decided to go with what _I _thought was best for the magazine."

Robbie tilted her head to the side, then turned around and went back behind the desk. She tapped a finger on the white envelop that was on the surface and slid it over the edge, towards Wilhelmina. She grabbed it and tore it open, taking out the sheet of paper and reading its contents.

"What does this mean?" she asked, waving the letter.

"It means the, huh, how did you call it? Big cheese? Well, they weren't happy with your little stunt." Robbie sat down. "Starting today, you're officially banned from our meetings with advertisers."

Wilhelmina opened her mouth to snap at her, but the anger overcame her, and she threw the letter on Robbie's desk, storming out of the office. On her way to her office, she stopped by Marc's, whose door was already opened. She stood there, Marc lifted his gaze from the files he was reading and understood the level of anger on his former boss by the quick breaths she was taking. He stood up hastily, took her hand and dragged her inside his room, closing his door.

"Ok, breathe," he said.

Wilhelmina closed her eyes and took a deep breath. When she opened her eyes, however, she was still fuming. Marc offered her his arm and shut his eyes. "Alright," he whispered. "Squeeze."

She grabbed his arm and squeezed hard, feeling the tension decrease slowly. Marc was suffering in silence, but as soon as her grip left his arm he held it close to his chest, rubbing.

"That was harder than the last time," he exclaimed.

"They're pushing me out of ad's meetings," she said, leaning back against the desk.

"What? They can't! You're the best strategist out there!" he exclaimed, shocked.

"Of course I am!" she said, raising her voice. "This is what I get for helping Mode!"

Marc smiled.

"Why are you smiling?" she hissed.

"So you did help Mode?"

"I never said that," she replied, lifting an eyebrow.

"Okey dokey," he whispered, crossing his arms. Wilhelmina narrowed her eyes, than snorted, wearily.

"Marc, this is crazy!" she said, throwing her arms up in the air and lowering noticeably the tone of her voice. "I can't be helping Mode! It's like screwing myself! It's the most stupid thing I've ever done."

"Oh, Willie, that was not stupid," he whispered, pouting. "That was actually cute. Sweet. Self-less. Generous. And yes, totally unlike you," he added, furrowing his forehead.

"_Unlike_ being the key word!" she hissed. "Tell me the truth Marc. Did we cast some sort of curse on the place? And now it's backfiring on us?"

"I'm not sure, but that's highly possible."

"What am I doing, here?" she asked. "I'm putting my career on the line to save the D-list, falling Meade dynasty."

"You're not doing it for them," he stated. "You're doing it for Mode."

"Mode, Meade, it's the same. The point is I'm losing sleep over it," she concluded.

"Maybe there _is_ something you could do." He looked at the door and then back at her, whispering. "Maybe there's a way to go back, not stopping going forward."

"You're not making any sense. Are you high on hairspray?"

"No, way better," he whispered, grinning. "I have an idea. An idea to go back on our old ship, without giving up the positions we have on the new one."

She smirked. "I like where this is going."

***

When he stepped out of the lift, later in the afternoon, he was still mad, but he knew he had to talk to his mother. It wasn't fair to take it out on her, despite the major role she'd played in the bad situation they were in. He took off his jacket, throwing in on his arm, and walked up to Amanda's circular desk. He looked around, waiting for the blonde receptionist, who was nowhere to be seen. He peeked over the edge, checking the messages. He grabbed the only post-it with his name written on and walked away.

He glanced at Betty's desk on passing and waved. She waved back, going quickly back to whatever she was reading. A few employees eyed him, passing him by, but he didn't bother paying any attention to them. He was growing used to the widespread dissatisfaction amongst the people who were still working at Mode, and he couldn't totally blame them.

He stepped into his office and stopped dead on his tracks seeing Claire sitting at his desk. She lifted her eyes, and he noticed she'd cried. She was good at concealing it, but he was just as good at spotting it. She got up and circled his desk, coming closer to him.

"Daniel, I'm sorry-"

He cut her off, hugging her. She stood motionless in his hold, surprised by his actions, then she hugged him back, leaning her forehead on his shoulder. He held her tight, needing the feeling of motherly protection, like a child who has to face something unknown. She rubbed his shoulder, never leaving him.

"I'm sorry," she whispered.

"No, I'm sorry," he whispered, freeing her and looking down. She gently cupped his face, lifting his face until his eyes were staring into hers.

"You're reaction was comprehensible. It's a difficult moment," she said, smiling. "But I want you to know one thing, and one thing only. All I do, every day, every moment of my life, I do it for you. You're all I have left."

He smiled wearily.

"I don't know what is going to happen, nor how we're going to face it," she continued, "but I know that as long as I have you I'm willing to sacrifice everything I have."

He narrowed his eyes.

"Even my own pride," she concluded.

"Are you saying what I think you're saying?" he asked.

She took a step back, and nodded.

"As much as I hate this, you're right. We need her. And maybe…Just maybe…She needs us."

She gave him a last kiss on the cheek, and brushed past him. He turned to watch her leave, but she stopped on the threshold and looked at him over her shoulder.

"Call her," she added, right before leaving.

He kept staring into the empty space. His brain was computing what his mother had just told him, and most of all he was trying to find the courage to do just what he had to. He bit his bottom lip, then spun around, circling the desk with newfound strength. Just when his hand touched the receiver, he heard the ringing.

He looked at it, almost wishing he could see the caller just by staring at it. However, he picked up the receiver on its fifth ring.

"Daniel Meade," he said.

"Daniel."

"Marc?"

"Yes, that's my name."

He was speechless. What could Marc possibly want from him? Unless he wasn't the one who had really wanted to call.

"Look," Marc's voice brought him back from his thoughts. "Wilhelmina wants to talk to you."

Seriously? What were the chances?

"Let her."

"Daniel, it's Wilhelmina," said an all too familiar voice.

"I was just about to-"

"I didn't call to chat. I think we have matters to discuss, and I'd rather not do this on the phone."

He took a deep breath, and his next words came out mashed together.

"I'm sorry for what I said earlier."

He heard hesitation on the other end, than she took a deep sigh. "As much as I enjoy your apologies, there's really no time for that. Meet me at the Starbucks on Broadway. It's the one two blocks away from the Elle building."

"Why?"

"Oh my God, Daniel, just be there!" she hissed, and it was clear she didn't want to be heard in the office.

"I can be there in half an hour."

"You have fifteen minutes, Daniel," she replied, adamant. "I don't have all day."

"I can't fly," he said, glancing at his watch and thinking about the traffic he would find at that hour.

"Then run."

***

Wilhelmina Slater crossed the street and looked inside the Starbuck's, noticing immediately Daniel sitting by himself at a table near the window. She snorted and went inside, taking off her sunglasses. Daniel looked up and saw her drawing closer. When she got to the table he was sitting at, however, she grabbed him by the elbow and dragged him behind her.

"You know, I thought you were an idiot, but not SUCH a dumb ass."

He followed her, bewildered. When they reached a table in the back, she threw her bag on the table, turning to look at him. "What were you thinking?" she asked, untying the knot of her raincoat.

"You said fifteen minutes! I've been waiting for forty-five minutes!" he bellowed, sitting down, annoyed. "And why was it such a problem to sit in the front?"

She slammed her hands on the table, leaning in. "I can't be seen with you!" she hissed. He looked into her eyes defiantly, and she sat down, sighing.

They stared at each other until a waiter came up to them and they both ordered Espressos. When the waiter was gone, she took out what Daniel recognized as Elle's mockup. He looked at her, who, crossed her arms on it.

"What is that?"

"The Elle mockup for the January issue."

"I see that. I mean, why did you bring it?"

She slid it over to him, however keeping her hands on it. He laid a hand on the cover, careful not to touch her hands. "What does this mean?" he asked, not able to tear his eyes away from the black and white leather cover.

She looked down to their hands, dangerously close, on the cover. She looked up again and lifted her hands, leaving Daniel's the only hand on the book.

"I have an offer," she stated, leaning on her elbows.

"Why should I take it?"

"Don't you want to listen to what I have to say, at least?" she blurted out, annoyed. He inched the book closer to him, and nodded.

"We both know you need me, Daniel. I can offer a deal to you."

"Isn't there a passage in the Bible that advises against pact with the Devil?" he asked, ironically. She didn't smile.

"Probably. But this Devil is the only one who can save you from Hell, and you know it."

He'd come running here, he could at least listen to what she had to say, so he simply looked at her, inviting her to go on.

"You let me come back at Mode, but I keep the position of co-Editor, and co-owner of the company. Legally. I don't want Claire to have more legal power than me only because she is a Meade. I want security."

"Provide I can grant that for you. What will I have in return?"

"I'll bring Elle down," she whispered, lifting a brow.

He leaned back on the chair, snorting. "How would you do that? You've been trying to do that since you were still Fey's Creative Director, and neither of you succeeded. How are you supposed to manage now?"

"Because this time…" she paused. The waiter arrived with their coffees. She put the cups on the table, and left. Daniel was holding his breath, but he wasn't even aware of that.

"This time?" he pressured.

She took a sip from her mug, then smirked over the edge. "This time, I'll tear it apart from the inside."

Daniel looked down on the cover once more, letting his fingers trace the letters white letters. What did she mean? And how could he trust her with something as big as this? How could he be sure this wasn't another scheme of hers, another way to bring him down? The few months of collaboration that had preceded her departure were not enough to be completely safe. He suddenly had a flashback of a friend of his, who'd been addicted to cocaine. He'd gone to rehab, and he'd successfully detoxed. When he got out, the two of them went to a party together, and the girl he was hitting on had asked his friend to hold the deck somewhere safe. Daniel had seen the look in his eyes. The day after, the drug was gone, and so was his friend. Rumors said he'd booked a flight to New Mexico, and was now a drug dealer.

"Why should I trust you?" he asked, murmured more like, never taking his eyes off the four white letters. He wasn't that interested, after all, but it was still safer to look at those four letters than into Wilhelmina Slater's eyes.

"Because just a few hours ago I nearly fucked up my job to help you. Because it undermined my position, and my reputation in the office, and I did it because all I ever cared about was Mode. All I've ever cared about _for the past twenty years _has been Mode."

She sounded sincere, but again, she sounded sincere the day she told Bradford what a lovely family the four of them would be, along with Alexis. That was a scheme. So, how do you recognize the typical Slater scheming? He looked up and the answer was there in front of his eyes. She had no mask.

She didn't have her trademark smirk on, but she wasn't even faking a painful expression to try and convince him. She was merely looking at him, and showing him she was the real Wilhelmina. And he couldn't make it without her.

"If I agree to do this," he asked, "what's it gonna cost me? Because I know there's a price to pay in all of this."

"Equality. And Marc has to keep his position of Fashion Editor."

"We can't hire people," he said. "We can barely cover the expenses with the employees we have left."

"Then you'll have to fire someone," she said simply, drinking the last drop of her coffee. When she looked up from the mug, he saw the determination in her eyes. "Daniel, don't make me get up without having closed the deal. Because if I do, I'll be once again against you, and it'll be the last you see of me. Which means my magazine- sorry, _your _magazine, will have less than a year before bankruptcy."

Maybe the Freudian slip spurred him to action, but he stood up. He reached out with his hand, waiting for her to shake it. She looked up at him, than to the hand he was offering. She stood up too and shook it.

"Try and screw me over, and I swear you won't live to see the sunlight ever again," she whispered.

Daniel smirked. "That was supposed to be my line."


	6. Chapter 6

Marc was sitting in front of his new flat screen TV, cross legged on his sofa wearing onesy pyjamas. Amanda was coming over soon for a sleepover; he had a stack of Jake Gyllenhaal DVD's and some homemade face scrub on standby. He needed extra cheering up tonight: his favourite goofy show had been cancelled, Amanda had laughed at him until he reminded her that she went on a 10 day carb binge when Gilmore Girls went off the air. Hearing a knock at the door he sprang up and grabbed the DVD's. Opening the door, he stood behind it, hiding, sticking out only his arm waving the DVD's.

'I've got Gyllenhaal,' he said in a sing song voice.

'I'm more of a Gerard Butler girl myself,' said a dry voice.

Marc opened the door so hard he smacked his head; Wilhelmina was standing on the threshold, brow arched and eying him in amusement.

'Aren't you going to invite me in?' She didn't wait for a reply as she barged past him, into the apartment.

Marc remained at the door, mouth flapping wildly, before closing the door and following her inside. Why was she at his apartment? She never came to his apartment, she always summoned him. He was suddenly acutely aware of the small things that were out of place, the somewhat questionable erotic art, the Glee album lying on his stereo, the jacket he had haphazardly thrown on the floor. He walked after her, straightening up everything in his path, very nervous about her critique on his home.

'Marc, stop fussing!'

He stood still, hands twitching nervously at his sides. He looked down at what he was wearing as she did the same.

'Manly.'

'Oh you know, I was just relaxing, waiting for Mandy, we have this tradition...' he stammered.

'I didn't come here for a "previously on Marc St James".'

'Why are you here Willie? You're not normally one for house calls.'

'Well we needed somewhere to meet and strategize and our buildings are too high profile, some of the most photographed in New York... We needed somewhere more low key.'

'We?'

As the question left his mouth, there was another knock on the door and he opened it to find Daniel Meade staring back at him.

'She here already?' Again, not waiting for an answer, he walked past Marc.

'Please, come in.' mumbled Marc as Daniel swept past him.

Walking back through to his living room, he was trying to assimilate what was happening. Daniel and Willie were exchanging lukewarm greetings when Daniel turned and took in Marc's attire.

'Manly.' He echoed Willie's earlier sentiment. This did not go unnoticed by Willie who narrowed her eyes at him.

'Okay, so now you're both here and have criticized my wardrobe, care to tell me why?'

'We need to come up with a plan.'

'Ooooh, so what is the plan?'

'That's why we're here Marc, do you not listen?' sighed Willie.

Just then there was a third knock on the door.

'That will be Amanda...I'll tell her I have to cancel,' Marc said, voice laden with disappointment. He had been looking forward to spending time with Amanda, he felt like he missed so much in the few short days they weren't speaking. But there was no way you could tell Wilhelmina to go home so he and Amanda could have facials and drool over boys, especially when she was mid-scheme.

'No...no actually, yes! That's perfect, let her in,' Willie said, as a light bulb went off in her head.

Confused, Marc went into the hall and let Amanda in. Daniel and Willie could hear her voice ringing out from their place in the living room.

'Okay Marcia, you've got the movies and the goodies and I've got the binoculars to properly check out that Zac Efron look-a-like across the street.' She skipped into the living room and stopped dead when she saw Daniel and Wilhelmina.

Like a rabbit caught in the head lights her eyes flicked back and forth between the two.

'Hello Amanda,' said Willie in a low voice.

'God Willie, do you have to say everything like a Bond villain? Would you like me to get you a white cat to stroke?' Daniel exclaimed.

'No need Daniel; you're a big enough pussy.'

'Oh ha ha, you wanna go down this road again?'

'We never turned off this road Daniel, just because we're working together doesn't mean I need to respect you.'

'That's exactly what it means.'

'No it doesn't, it means I have to tolerate you.'

'Look Willie...'

'Listen Daniel...'

Marc shook his head as the cacophony of their voices ascended until he couldn't hear a word of their bickering.

'ENOUGH!' He yelled, waving his hands above his head. 'You wanna get back to why you're here?'

Daniel and Wilhelmina gave each other one last scathing look before she straightened her jacket and looked at Marc. 'We're here to discuss how to bring down Elle.'

Amanda gasped and Wilhelmina's gaze fell directly on her.

'And we need your help.'

xXx

An hour later and Wilhelmina was sitting next to Amanda on the sofa, Marc perched on the coffee table in front of them. Daniel came walking in from Marc's kitchen, carrying a bowl and licking his fingers.

'Hey Marc, you got any chips? This dip is amazing.'

'That's Guava and Papaya facial scrub, Daniel.'

Daniel looked at it and shrugged, sticking a finger back in. Wilhelmina rolled her eyes and turned her attention back to Amanda.

'So, you're clear on what you have to do?' she asked.

'I think so. Are you sure you want me doing this...working for Elle?' The question was directed at Daniel, who nodded.

'As long as you do everything we've talked about, everything will be fine.'

'And what about after?'

'You'll come back to Mode.'

'What if there's no Mode to come back to?'

'Are you doubting me, Amanda?' This from Willie, who instantly had her heckles up.

'No! It's just...I mean-'

Marc grabbed Amanda's hand. 'Look Mandy, it'll be fine, I swear. You need me, I'm just down the hall, just like old times.' He smiled.

She smiled back. 'Okay, I'm in.'

'You say that like you had a choice.' Willie chimed in.

'Wilhelmina.' Daniel warned. She rolled her eyes again.

'Wait, what about Betty?' Amanda asked.

'What about her?'

'What's her part in all of this?'

Daniel started fidgeting with the remnants in the bowl he was holding. 'She, uh, she doesn't know.'

'What, why?'

'I haven't made up my mind whether or not to tell her any of this. As much as she wants Mode to succeed, I don't think she'd see this as right...and you know she's a stickler for doing the right thing. She's good...she's moral.'

'I'm good, I'm moral!' Amanda protested.

'Yeah right.' Marc laughed loudly and then quickly sobered. 'Of course you are sweetie.'

Changing the subject, Marc turned to Wilhelmina; 'Why all this trouble? Don't you have one of your nifty little CD ROMs you used in Mode when Claire fired you?'

'I don't have an endless supply of material from the Pentagon, Marc. Besides, that only affected what data was held on the computers, it only wiped the issue currently being worked on. Even Daniel managed to recover from that, imagine what talented editors could do.'

Ignoring her, Daniel started pacing, reiterating what was to happen. 'Right so, Willie will get you started in the office on Monday. All things going to plan you shouldn't last more than a week, so you should be back at Mode in time for the opening of Fashion Week.'

'How are we going to play that, by the way? Elle and Mode will be together.'

'Well we just carry on as normal. Obviously, we can't arouse any suspicion. I'll ignore you, you two need to act oblivious to everything and Willie, you'll have to carry on being a bitch...think you can handle that?' he asked sarcastically.

'I'll give it my best shot.'

xXx

Monday morning, Betty scurried into work and, as usual, went to stop at Amanda's desk to pick up any messages. Bracing herself for Amanda's daily fashion lesson, she was surprised to find a red headed girl sat at the desk.

'Excuse me, where's the girl who normally works here?'

The girl merely shrugged and went back to reading her copy of Elle. Betty snatched it from her hands and waved it in her face.

'This...' she waved it more aggressively, '...is banned.' She dumped it in the trash, before carrying on her sojourn down to Daniel's office. She walked in and placed his latte and Onion bagel with cream cheese on his desk. He smiled.

'You know, you don't have to do this anymore.'

'I know, I was getting it for myself anyway.'

'Then where's yours?'

She grinned, 'Okay, you caught me; I'm still on auto pilot in the mornings. I end up buying it before I realise.'

'Well, why don't you just keep it?'

'Oh, no thanks, onions make me gassy.'

Daniel grimaced and nodded once, 'TMI Betty.'

'Anyway, enough of that, where's Amanda? There's a pre-menstrual Raggedy Ann doll in her place.'

'She...uh...she quit.' Daniel busied himself with his snack.

'What? When? Why?'

'Got a better offer.'

'Where...or do I even need to ask?'

Daniel got up and walked around the desk. 'Look, it's a big step up for her, as a colleague it sucks but as a friend be happy for her.'

Batty sighed. 'A friend wouldn't abandon friends to work against them.'

'Come on Betty.'

She huffed. 'Fine, what's she doing there?'

Try as he might, he couldn't keep himself from smiling. 'She's Robbie Myers new assistant.'

xXx

'And you're sure she's qualified?' Robbie was surveying Amanda who was sitting just outside her office.

'Oh yes, she worked with me for years at Mode. Knows everything there is to know.'

'So why haven't you snapped her up yourself, Willie?'

'You told me to stop firing my assistants, so I stopped. I'm trying to help here, it's your assistant who tried to cover up her pregnancy until she practically gave birth at her desk, you needed someone quick and I thought you'd want the best. Plus, one more for us is one less for Mode.'

Outside the office, the phone on Amanda's desk rang. 'Robbie Myers office.'

'This is Alexandra from Roberto Cavalli, could you please tell Ms Myers that I will have to move our dinner meeting from _8_ o'clock to _7_ o'clock?'

'Certainly, I see Ms Myers is free from 6pm, so that shouldn't be a problem.'

Hanging up she walked into Robbie's office. 'That was Roberto Cavalli's people; they have to push your dinner from _8_ o'clock to _9_ o'clock.'

'Oh good, I was going to be running late for that meeting as it was, I have sales pitches right up to seven thirty. Thank you, Amanda.'

Amanda smiled; from behind Robbie's back, Wilhelmina smiled and winked at her.

'Oh and Amanda, could you please call Lorenzo from De La Renta? Valentino has requested to close, rather than open, fashion week in our tent so we move Oscar from the finale to the launch.'

'Of course.' Amanda walked back to her desk and called Marc.

'Marc St James.'

'This is Amanda Tannen-Sommers, calling on behalf of Robbie Myers, could I possibly speak to Lorenzo please?' She said loud enough so Robbie would hear.

Marc laughed on the other end of the line.

'Lorenzo, Robbie has decided to allow you to open at fashion week; will it be a problem for Oscar to present then?'

'Sabotaging already?' Marc asked, impressed.

'That is correct.'

'Fabulous.'

'I agree...fabulous, thank you so much.' She ended the call.

Moments later, Wilhelmina left Robbie's office and walked past Amanda. 'Good girl,' she muttered under her breath. Willie headed towards her office and saw Marc still sitting in his as she passed. Stopping, she turned and walked into his office.

'What are you still doing here? Robert Warren is down in the studio to shoot the cover; you're in charge of it. I know we're trying to ruin this rag but you can't be so obvious!' She said, eyes flashing.

'I know, it's not that. I was waiting for you.'

'I'm not overseeing the shoot.'

'I know but Robert Warren called up and specifically requested I bring you.'

'Why?'

'I don't know but he was adamant...maybe someone has a little crush,' he smiled widely.

'Oh shut up. Come on; let's go see what the ass kisser wants.'

xXx

Walking towards the studio, she could see Robert Warren standing outside, grinning like an idiot. He extended both his hands and took one of hers, squeezing tightly and bringing it to his chest.

'Ms Slater, you look fabulous! I can't wait for you to see what we've come up with.'

'Mr St James here is covering the shoot.'

'Oh I didn't ask you here to _oversee_ the shoot. You're going to _be _the shoot.'

'Excuse me?'

The photographer clasped his sweaty hands further around hers and pulled her towards the door. Taking a deep breath he smiled broadly and pushed the door open. Wilhelmina felt her heart drop as she took in the scene before her.

'Oh. My. God.'

Set on the stage in front of her was an exact replica of Fey's Sleigh Ride, right down to the music box on the seat. If Wilhelmina ignored the man beside her, she could easily be back in Mode. Daniel standing next to her. She half expected to hear Bradford's voice barking at them in the distance. Mistaking her silence for awe, Warren began gushing.

'Isn't it perfect? The whole theme is romance, and I thought, the most romantic thing I've ever seen in a magazine was the poignant tribute you made to Ms Sommers in your Christmas issue and then I thought...why not recreate it...with you.'

'What the hell is this!?' She rounded on him. 'You thought I would want to use an idea that has not been used once, but _twice_ by our rival magazine? An idea that I, myself, was responsible for in the first place? And romance...where the hell is the romance in this?'

'I thought...well, romance is bittersweet and this picture...'

'Cut the crap, you thought people would see the cover and think we were sticking it to Mode and the sales would skyrocket giving you bigger royalties. I DO NOT need to put myself on the cover of my magazine to make it sell. I DO NOT need to resort to petty tactics to blow my rival out of the water and I AM NOT going to sit in a dead woman's seat just to boost your pay check...you're fired.'

'What?'

'Pack up your equipment, dismantle this farcical set and get out!'

Wilhelmina stormed from the set, Marc hot on her heels.

'What was that you said about not being too obvious?'

'Even if I weren't trying to destroy this magazine, I would still have fired that ass. The nerve! That man expected a six figure sum for recycling an idea from MY magazine! That shoot was Mode's biggest seller when it came out...both times around, it's...it's...'

'Special?' Marc offered, quietly.

'Yes,' she agreed, just as quietly. 'Well, he's gone now, which means we have to resort back to that awful first cover. I suppose that's actually a bonus now.'

'Actually...it gets better,' Marc smiled.

'Tell me.'

'Hernandez never signed over the cover, he owns the prints. We no longer have them on file. We have no cover.'

Wilhelmina smiled, wickedly: 'Excellent.'

xXx

Two days later, Robbie stormed into Wilhelmina's office, where Marc and Wilhelmina were looking over editorials. 'We have NO cover!'

'So I heard.'

'When exactly were you planning on telling me?!'

'I wasn't.'

'Excuse me?'

'Well, you've had a lot on your plate, what with you facilitating Fashion Week and attending all the meetings, seen as I'm no longer privy to them... I understand you've been missing quite a few of them by the way, the stress getting to you dear?'

'It's that damn assistant! Do you know that thanks to her screw ups, five designers have now re-signed with Mode, three more photographers are now back on their books and one agency has taken all their models back to Meade? If you believe that's the best then your last assistant must have been a talking monkey.'

'Hey!' Marc shouted.

'No dear, don't blame Amanda. Forgetting things happens to the best of us...especially at your age. Botox protects the face darling, not the mind.'

'My age? Oh please, stretch your face wider and you won't be able to blink.'

Wilhelmina smiled. 'Should you really be standing here, trading barbs with me when you have a meeting with Hachette Filipacchi Médias in 20 minutes?'

'What!?' The colour suddenly drained from Robbie's face.

'You know...our publishers, largest publishing empire in the world. Ring any bells?'

'I don't have a meeting with them,' Robbie said, a pleading edge to her voice.

'Robbie, don't tell me you've forgotten! Amanda told you yesterday morning when you and I were discussing the centre spread.'

'No...no...she didn't!' She was sounding desperate.

'She did! I was sitting right there, you were making notes on the pleated gowns on Raquel Zimmermann, I remember it distinctly.'

Robbie's eyes started darting in their sockets. 'I must not have heard, how could I not have heard? Oh my God Willie, they're going to want sales figures, annual projections, client lists! I can't do that in twenty minutes! What have you got!?'

'Nothing.'

'Nothing?!'

'Robbie, you had me banned from meetings, why would I have worked on anything?'

'Are you telling me that I have to walk into a meeting in twenty minutes, with the men who pay our way, with absolutely nothing!?'

'Actually, I don't think you have twenty minutes. I don't think you have any minutes.' Willie looked over her head; Robbie followed her gaze and saw several men in sharp suits being led down the halls by Amanda.

'I think I'm going to be sick.'

'Well, puke quickly.' Marc said, trying to mask his glee.

Robbie walked out of the hall, slightly unsteady on her legs. Marc walked up to Willie. 'It's happening!' He held up his hand in a high five gesture. Willie snorted and swatted it away.

She smiled. 'It's all coming together.'

xXx

Daniel sat at his desk and smiled, his smile turning to laughter as he picked up Elle's latest issue. The cover of the romance issue was nothing more than a hot pink heart with the word LOVE written across it. Perusing the sales figures again, his heart soared: Elle was still in pole position but sales had fallen 18% and Mode's had risen by 21%, the biggest fall and rise, respectively, in the history of both publications. Their plan had been in effect for only 5 days and they had achieved so much... Scratch that, Wilhelmina had achieved so much. _God, she was good._

He was still grinning like a teenager with his first Playboy when a cloud of blonde bounced into his office.

'Only five days huh? I thought you'd last a bit longer.'

'Yeah, she totally fired my ass. I'm great at being an awful assistant, wonder how I can word that positively on my resume?'

'You don't have to worry about that, after what you've done for me, I guarantee you job security for life. In fact...would you like to be my assistant Amanda?' He asked sincerely, waiting for the jubilant acceptance.

'No.'

'No?!'

'I mean no, thank you.'

'I'm not reprimanding your manners Amanda, why would you turn down a promotion?'

'I think we already established that I can't work for you Daniel...besides, I already got one.'

'One what?'

'A promotion.' She smiled. 'Wilhelmina asked me to be her assistant when she comes back to Mode, and I said yes.'

Daniel grinned at her, genuinely pleased for her. 'Good for you, you must have impressed her, Willie doesn't just hire anyone. And I guess if you've accepted it, you have no more doubts that this is going to work?'

She shook her head, eyes wide, in awe. 'Not now, I've seen her work. She's unstoppable; she's a force of nature."

Daniel nodded slowly. 'Yeah...I know.'

xXx

Claire, Daniel and Betty were sitting in the front row of the opening show for Fashion Week in the main tent; Daniel looked to the seats to his right, empty, reserved for Elle. He felt excitement in his chest as he thought of the conversation he had with Willie that morning. He couldn't wait to see Robbie's face.

'Here they come,' his mother whispered in his ear. 'Are you sure about all this?'

'Yes, and anyway, you pushed me to contact her.'

'I know, but I didn't expect something of this magnitude. Making a deal with her is about as safe as going bareback with a $5 hooker.'

'Ewww Mom!'

'I'm just saying...'

'Well could you say it a little less grossly?'

He looked up and sure enough he saw Robbie Myers and a man he didn't recognize, closely followed by Marc and Wilhelmina. Marc was clad in his usual bright colours, accessorized with an ascot. Robbie was dressed in a non-descript, champagne toned, boxy suit. Wilhelmina on the other hand, always knew how to make an impression and was wearing a deep orange dress, cut scandalously high at the leg and with a fitted bustier. Her hair, which he knew would have taken hours, looked effortlessly tousled; she seemed to light up the path as she walked, turning the heads of all she passed. Taken aback by the highly inappropriate length of time spent scrutinizing her, he shook his head sharply as Robbie and her escort took the two seats farthest away leaving the two next to him for Marc and Willie. As Willie sat down, she didn't acknowledge the Meade's, or Betty. Robbie leaned forward and peered around them.

'Claire, Daniel...aww how sweet, coming to take one last look at fashion week before your little magazine kicks it.'

Daniel jumped involuntarily as he felt Wilhelmina's hand brush against his. Passing it as a harmless mistake he moved his hand away, until he felt it again, this time trying to prize his fingers apart. _What the hell, is she trying to hold my hand?_

Stealing a confused glace down to her hand he saw she was trying to pass him a piece of paper. Reaching his hand down he slipped it from her. Opening it discretely he read its contents.

_De La Renta confirmed, go for the jugular._

Daniel smiled and cleared his throat. 'You know Robbie, I think I'll pop into the Elle tent for your opening show. I won't be able to catch Valentino when they're on for Mode.'

'Sorry to disappoint Daniel, but Valentino are no longer opening for us. We have Oscar de la Renta, jealous?'

'Actually we landed them too. Is your show starting later than usual?' he asked, full of innocence.

'No, why?'

'It's just De La Renta are opening for Mode in just over an hour.'

Robbie scoffed. 'Impossible.'

'I assure you, they're setting up in our tent as we speak.'

Robbie turned in her seat. 'No, I heard my assistant...' Realization dawned on her. 'Amanda.'

She snapped open her phone and called the editors currently setting up in Elle's tent. Daniel couldn't suppress his elation as he heard increasingly loud cursing and hysteria coming from Robbie's direction. She snapped the phone shut.

'Willie, De La Renta is not in our tent.'

'I believe Daniel just told you that.'

'Willie, we have NO opening designer!'

'Well Robbie, if you weren't trying to push me to the sidelines and do everything yourself this could have been avoided.'

'Do you really want to start airing this in front of them?' she said indicating Daniel and Claire.

'Oh please, like they haven't seen me argue before. You had better get your ass over to our tent and get it sorted before our magazine becomes a laughing stock!' she shouted, sounding to anyone listening like she was genuinely angry.

'And what about you!?'

'What about me? You were the one who insisted on orchestrating Fashion Week and how would it look to the media if both of Elle's Editor in Chiefs missed the opening?'

Robbie made an unintelligible noise and stormed away in a fury, dragging her companion with her.

Daniel turned to Wilhelmina; he reached his hand back down and squeezed hers briefly to get her attention. She looked at him.

'You're a genius.'

She smiled at him, a real, authentic, genuine dazzling smile.

'You're finally getting it, huh?'


	7. Chapter 7

"Somebody please tell me again, when did we decide my apartment would be headquarters of '_007: Operation Mode_'."

Marc had slumped over the couch, with his head thrown back against the pillow. Amanda had her head on his knees and her legs were dangling from the armrest. Wilhelmina was sitting at the big dinner table, studying the files spread upon it under her eyes, while Daniel was leaning on the table, looking at the same files from over her shoulder.

"Because Mom and Dad's places are constantly stalked by paparazzi," said Amanda, moving her hands around without much sense. "Marc, you think Robbie Myers suspects anything? She's not exactly stupid. Though I must admit her plastic surgeon did a very poor job on her nose."

"Poor Robbie," said Marc, amused. "She paid thousands of dollars for that nose."

"Well, she should have asked Wilhelmommy," the girl whispered. "Hers is perfect. You can't even tell it's fake."

"Amanda, I heard that! Stop talking about my nose!" said Wilhelmina. "And for God's sake, stop calling me Wilhelmommy."

Amanda looked at Marc and covered her mouth with her hand, muffling a laugh. Daniel stretched and yawned.

"I need a bed."

"You need a life, but this is not the moment to discuss that."

"Snap!" exclaimed Marc from the couch, in a sing-song voice, raising his arms up in the air in a victorious gesture. Wilhelmina smirked at the classic St James form of support. Daniel linked his hands behind his head and rolled his eyes, snorting.

Amanda sat up, with wide eyes. "Daddy, don't let Mum walk all over you!"

The other three slowly turned their heads to look at the blonde. She turned to Marc, and then smiled apologetically. "Sorry, I got carried away." She went back to resting her head on Marc's knees, and the boy looked down at her, grinning.

"What time is it?" asked Wilhelmina, finally standing from the chair she'd been sitting on for the past three hours.

"2.25 am," came Daniel's answer.

"Ok, let's try and go over this one last time," she said, walking up to the couch Marc and Amanda were on; Daniel followed her. "Marc, you go first."

Marc yawned, and then he started reciting unenthusiastically the plan. "Robbie has a meeting with our publishers on the 10th of February, to try and make up for the poor figure of a few days ago. On the other hand, Willie you're scheduled for an interview on Fashion TV round the time she'll be in that meeting. During the interview you'll be praising Elle for all the great things it's done for you, but you'll also hint to the unfair treatment you received in the last period. Your fans will go crazy, and it'll be the biggest fashion revolution since the comeback of high waist."

"I still can't believe you have fans," Daniel muttered under his breath.

"I have your mother to thank for that," she explained. "I'm seen as the poor victim, here. Extremely good-looking, well-dressed, but still a victim."

"Yeah, right," he replied, skeptically. "Amanda, you go on."

Amanda snorted and, with a grimace, started to tell her part. "After the interview, Elle's phones will be ringing off the hook. But Robbie's assistant won't be there to pick them up because she'll be out with Marc, who'll bribe her with the excuse of helping him overseeing a photo shoot. I will be hidden in Marc's office, and as soon as they're outside the building I'll sneak up to Robbie's desk and make two phone calls. The first one will be to Chanel's reps, who happen to be in town to meet Robbie later in the afternoon to talk about their contract. I'll tell them we need to cut their pages, and they will never sign the contract with those premises."

"Willie, why are you so sure they'll pull out only because a few of their pages will be cut?" Daniel chimed in.

"First off, don't call me Willie," she said, dangerously raising an eyebrow. "Secondly, they're Chanel, Daniel. And they're French. You don't compromise with Chanel. You obey."

"But you always compromised-"

"I'm a different story," she explained proudly. "Amanda, go ahead."

"Yeah…What was I saying?"

Wilhelmina sighed, unnerved. "The phone calls."

"Oh yeah, right. So, the second call will be to the Hachette Filipacchi Médias, where Robbie will be having that meeting, and I'll say I'm her assistant and I'll report on the outbursts and complaints since Wilhelmina's interview. This will make it look like Robbie is no longer in control of the situation, and it'll push the people at Hachette Filipacchi Médias to side with Wilhelmina, which will make her immune for the next steps."

Amanda looked surprised and pleased with itself, as she beamed up at Marc.

"Alright, now," she turned to Daniel, speaking slowly. "Can you remember the very simple task I gave you? I swear it's not that difficult."

"I need to intercept the Chanel reps…and basically wow them."

Wilhelmina looked at him, furrowing her brow. "I guess that's one way to put it. Care to elaborate?"

"I have to seize the moment and convince them to sign with Mode. Once Chanel is on board, it'll be easier to convince other high profile brands."

Wilhelmina looked at him, who was studying a buttonhole. Then she turned to Marc and Amanda, who were playing with each other's noses. "Lord help me."

"Can we go home now?" asked Daniel. "We've been here for the whole evening and half of the night. I'm tired, I can't even see things straight. Plus, the plan is good to go; we don't need any more brainstorming."

"Fine," whispered Wilhelmina, and walked up to the hanger, grabbing her coat. Daniel did the same, and Marc jumped up, making Amanda roll onto the floor. After a whispered apology, he ran to Wilhelmina,

"So, I'll talk to you in the morning," he said, eying Daniel suspiciously. "How are you…getting home?"

"I'll take a cab," she said, opening the door.

"Alone?" he suggested. Daniel heard him, and chimed in.

"No, I'll go with her. Don't worry," he added. "I'll make sure nobody kidnaps her."

Marc narrowed his eyes and turned to Wilhelmina. "If he tries and kill you, just go for the testicles."

Daniel scoffed and pushed Marc out of his way, closing the door behind them.

They stood in the hall, waiting for the lift. He glanced at her sideways. She felt his eyes on her and rolled her eyes.

"You know, you don't have to."

"What?"

"Take the cab with me," she explained, pursing her lips tight together. "Trust me, I know criminals, and they would never try anything on Wilhelmina Slater."

"Oh," he chuckled. "And why is that?"

"Because I basically have links to everyone in the city," she said. The elevator doors opened and they both stepped in. "And that includes the criminal world."

"I don't know if I should be scared or reassured by that."

"Reassured," she stated. "If I wanted you dead, it would take less than a blink."

He swallowed hard, wondering if this had been a good idea.

They reached the first floor, and they both stepped out, exiting the building. "You think it's safe to think paparazzi are not around?" he asked, quickly stopping a cab and opening the door for her.

"I know it's hard to believe that, but paparazzi sleep too," she said, jumping inside. He followed and closed the door. "38th, Fifth Avenue," she said to the driver. The car moved, and they both looked out in silence.

The drive to her apartment was quick, as New York was not nearly as chaotic at 2.30am as she was in the morning. When the car came to a halt, he opened the door and let her get out the car.

"Are you staying sir?" the driver asked.

He looked at Wilhelmina, who lifted an eyebrow, daring him to answer. "Uhm no, I'm…I was just letting her…"

"Don't fuss," she said, playfully shoving him. "We'll talk tomorrow," she said, before turning around and entering the building. He stood there, watching her leave, and smiled at the new, weird, twisted band they were sharing.

"Sir, are you sure you're not staying?" the driver asked again.

"Yeah," he said, shaking his head and jumping back in.

***

The morning after, Marc and Amanda stepped out of the car and entered Elle's building. She was wearing big sunglasses, and had her hair completely hidden inside a baseball cap. She was wearing sweats and a hoodie, and kept her head bowed until the elevator door closed. They were alone, in the lift, so she took off her glasses and immediately turned to Marc, jumping up and down.

"Marc, this is so exciting!"

"Lower your voice! And put those glasses back on!" he hissed, taking the sunglasses from her hand and putting them back on her eyes. She kept smiling.

"I feel like one of those superhot actresses in a spy movie, those women who dress in leather and have killer heels and..."

"You're wearing sneakers."

This seemed to turn her off, as she grimaced and closed her mouth. The elevator doors opened and Marc stepped out, Amanda fast on his heels. They walked through the corridors, as Marc greeted a few people.

"Hey St James, who's the pony express?" asked a man.

"Cousin," Marc replied.

"Was he talking about me, Marc?" Amanda hissed, running to keep up with his fast pace.

"Shut up," he hissed back.

They reached his office and he shoved her inside, closing the door behind them. She immediately threw her baseball cap aside, and her hair fell down on her shoulder. She took off the sunglasses and looked him dead in the eyes. "Do I look like a pony express?"

"Uhm," he said, eying her attire. "Well, let's just say tomorrow you'll go back to your bright, colorful and short dresses, and you'll be as beautiful and glamorous as always!"

Amanda pulled a face and went round his desk. Just as her butt touched the chair, Robbie's voice shrilled from the corridor. Marc turned to her, widening his eyes. She gasped and jumped behind the desk, hiding. The door swung opened and Robbie barged in.

"Where's Wilhelmina, Marc?"

"I…I…" he stuttered. "Fashion TV. Interview."

"Oh shit, I'd forgotten she had the damn interview this morning!" Robbie exclaimed, throwing her hands up in exasperation. "Do you know where she keeps the sales figures?"

"No idea," he said, shaking his head innocently. Amanda, from her hiding place under the desk, was trying hard not to laugh.

"Damn it," Robbie yelled, and she left the room in a hurry. Marc ran to the door, closing it. He turned back to the room. "That was close."

Amanda peeked from behind the desk and Marc gave her the green light; she jumped up and sat at the desk again. "Turn the television on," she exclaimed.

Marc grabbed the remote, and the screen suddenly gave back Suzuki St Pierre's big face.

"Next, on Fashion TV, an exclusive interview with our favorite mamaeditrix, Wilhelmina Slater. Stay with us," he said. Then, he was cut off by commercials.

"I don't think she'll be on for at least half an hour," he wondered out loud.

"Call her!"

"No, she texted me this morning, it's better if we stay in contact as little as possible, today. Less suspicion, you know," he explained, sitting on the couch.

"Perfect," she whispered. "So, now what?"

"Now it's my turn," he said, proudly. "I'll go talk to Robbie's assistant."

"Oh, where did that pink-wisped girl go anyway?" Amanda asked, suddenly remembering the unfortunate adventure of two years before.

"She was fired after she let me and Betty get away with the Halston dress," he explained. "Now, as soon as I'm outside, LOCK the door. We don't want anyone to find you here before time." With that, he opened the door. Before closing it he looked at Amanda once more and mouthed "_Good luck"_.

She got up and ran to the door, locking it immediately. She sat back at Marc's desk and opened his laptop. "What was the site, again?" she asked herself. "Oh yeah. _…_"

She typed on the keyboard, and the page opened quickly. "I can't believe I'd never heard of this before," she exclaimed. "I'm SO subscribing to the Wilhelmina Slater newsletter."

***

"Miss Slater, your skin is flawless."

The young make-up artist that was doing the finishing touches on her face with a little powder was oblivious to anything else, looking at her adoringly. She smiled.

"Thank you, I have cows killed in Asia expressly for this purpose, and then I have the blood delivered during full moon nights and I use it as moisturizer."

The boy took a step back and ran away. She turned to Suzuki who was standing a few meters away, having his own make-up retouched. He was chuckling too.

"They still fall for it every time," she said, laughing lightly.

"Oh Wilhelmina Slater, you could say the moon is red and the next thing you know it'll be in science books," he exclaimed.

"You're such a darling," she said, with a fake smile.

The phone in her purse beeped. She took it and read Marc's text message. "_The puppy is with me."_ She smiled at the boy's cryptic choice of words; if it were anyone else but her, it would have been incomprehensible. But she knew Marc too well, and she'd learnt to decipher his language.

"Suzuki, are we ready to go? I have business to take care of later," she said.

The journalist jumped down from the stool, and so did she. "Alright everyone, let's roll!"

***

Amanda was busy reading through some of the weirdest, creepiest messages on that site, when Suzuki's voice caught her attention. She looked up and saw Wilhelmina staring back at her from the TV screen. Amanda nearly fell off the chair in the attempt to get up so quickly. She went closer to the device and, with a wicked smile, said:"Alright Mama, show them what you've got."

She listened carefully as Wilhelmina told Suzuki how grateful she was to Elle for allowing her the chance to work to the fullest of her ability, and how the magazine was so dear to her. Then Suzuki asked about the decreasing sales of the last issue and Wilhelmina put on her best (but completely fake, Amanda noted) innocent smile.

"I can't answer that question, Suzuki. I suppose there must have been some sort of problem in the advertising department, but I'm not sure, as I have been banned from those meetings."

Suzuki's eyes widened, and Amanda knew immediately he'd just smelt a scoop.

"But...What do you mean, banned?" he asked, his eyes sparkling

"Well... Oh, I really shouldn't have said that, but anyway...Lets just say Robbie and I were in strong disagreement on some of my politics. These are the results. But Robbie is a sweetheart, really."

Amanda was about to double over laughing, at Wilhelmina's last affirmation. She had been so busy establishing how much of a bitch she could be, over the past four years, and she'd never stopped and thought about how smart Wilhelmina really was.

"That brings me to the next question," said Suzuki. "When we heard about your involvement with Elle Magazine we were all a bit skeptical."

"If I remember well, you called it a '_convenient yet treacherous act_'," she chimed in, smiling.

"You know we're your biggest fans, here at Fashion TV," Suzuki exclaimed. "Anyway, I've wanted to ask you forever...how your relationship with Robbie has changed, now that you're on the same team."

"I don't think I want to discuss this subject," Wilhelmina whispered. "Let's just say we're two very different people." As she said this, she looked down.

"Oh. My. God." whispered Amanda. If she hadn't known she was faking it, she could've sworn she was really hurt by the situation.

Amanda turned off the television and walked up to the door; she unlocked it and opened it the slightest bit, enough to hear the phones ringing. She smiled and exited Marc's office, running down the corridor.

"Hey, Sommers!"

She stopped dead on her tracks, turning around slowly with her eyes wide opened. She saw a redhead coming towards her.

"What are you doing here, Mandy?" the girl asked. "I thought Robbie had fired your cute, little ass."

Amanda had no idea whether it was the fear of what Wilhelmina might have done to her if she'd messed up the plan or anything else, but she found herself thinking faster than she'd ever done in her life.

"Oh well, you know me. I'm SO good, people have a hard time letting me go," she said, waving her hand around. "Robbie hired me back when she saw the other girl was a total mess."

The redhead narrowed her eyes, and then shrugged. "Fine, but just answer the damn phone at Robbie's desk; it's been ringing for the past ten minutes."

Amanda smiled and waved at her while she walked away. When the girl was round the corner, Amanda sighed in relief and started running again, until she was in front of Robbie's office. Her palms were sweating as she opened the door to Robbie's desk and went to sit at her desk. She waited till the phone stopped ringing for a second and picked it up, dialing a number Wilhelmina had scribbled for her on a sheet of paper.

"Hallo?" the deep, French voice answered on the other end.

"Uhm, hello, this is...Ruby. Ruby, calling from Elle," she said, trying to remember exactly what Wilhelmina had told her to say.

"Mais oui, nous somme en train de-"

"Uh, I'm sorry, but I have something I need to tell you. Unfortunately Elle reached the maximum number of ads for this issue, which means we'll have to cut your pages from the previous six we'd agreed on to two."

She waited for the answer. She heard people talking on the other end amongst themselves, in French. She couldn't understand a word, except for a "ce n'est pas possible". But hearing the tone of the conversation, she knew they weren't happy.

"Miss, you understand the gravity of this?" the man asked, with a strong accent.

"Yes, but it's impossible for us to give you the six pages we had promised."

"Well, then I guess it's impossible for us to give you the contract we'd promised."

The line was suddenly mute. Amanda smirked against the receiver and put it down. Almost immediately it started ringing again. She let it ring, and instead she took out her cell phone and texted Daniel. '_Chanel just fell into the trap. Go get'em Dad!'_

___***_

"Robbie, dear, you know I trust you, but this is not good at all."

Arnaud Lagardère was looking through the files a very nervous Robbie Myers had laid on his desk. The numbers, despite being still satisfying, were not the figures they were used to. And despite his continued support for the magazine, he was beginning to wonder whether it needed a new kick in the ass.

"I know, but we've had a tough month. We lost Ralph Lauren, and a few minor advertisers."

"And why is that?" Arnaud asked. When Robbie shook her head not knowing what to answer, he went on. "Robbie, I thought you knew what you were doing when you asked me to support you in the decision to keep Wilhelmina Slater from ad's meetings."

"I did. I still do. I know what I'm doing, Arnaud. It's just, I've relied on Jo Zee for such a long time, and I had forgotten how difficult those meetings can get. It won't happen again."

"No, you're right," Arnaud said. He got up and collected the papers, handing them to Robbie. "Because if it does, you'll be suspended."

Robbie's eyes widened, but before she could speak Lagardère's assistant came barging inside the office.

"Sir, we have a problem," the boy said, holding a receiver in his hands. Arnaud looked at him, and then snatched the phone from his hands.

Robbie shifted comfortably, hearing just his side of the conversation.

"What happened?" he was saying. "Yes. What? You've got to be kidding me! And they...EVERYONE?"

Robbie cast a glance at the boy, who was standing uncomfortably on the threshold, looking at his feet.

"WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH YOUR MAGAZINE?"

Robbie turned to look at Arnaud again and he was staring at her, mixed with disbelief and anger. "That was YOUR assistant!"

"Why...what..." she babbled, unsure of what was happening.

"Why? What? The readers are up in arms and they want _your head_!" the man yelled, slamming a fist down on the table. Robbie jumped, completely bewildered. "What the hell did you do to Wilhelmina Slater?"

"I did _nothing__!"_she exclaimed.

Arnaud rubbed his temples, sitting back down and leaning on his elbows. "Robbie, this is a disaster."

"I don't know what you're talking about, Arnaud!"

"What I'm talking about is after Wilhelmina came on board, we went 75% up in circulation, because they saw us as the people who were finally crediting her for her work, opposite to what those baboons at Mode had done till then. Now, apparently the readers know about your decision to push her out of the editorial duties, and they're threatening a mass unsubscription."

Robbie stared blankly ahead, feeling the urge to break something.

"I'm sorry Robbie, I have to do something."

"Wait, Arnaud, you don't mean-"

"As of now, Wilhelmina is officially reinstated in every field. That includes ad's meetings. And Robbie...Don't try and pull one of your stunts, because I've got her back."

Robbie stormed away, cursing the day she'd decided to let the Devil work inside her office.

***

Karl Lagerfeld was a busy man, always had been. He rarely had any time to spare, and even when he did find it, it always managed to be wasted. He had never liked wasting time. That was why he was in a bad mood. He'd flown from Los Angeles to meet Robbie Myers and sign the new contract with Elle; to do that, he'd had to postpone meetings, and rehearsals, and more meetings. Just seconds ago he'd been informed the deal was not going to be closed.

He was tapping his foot on the floor at JFK Airport, in the departuresarea, annoyed and in a very bad mood. He stretched a hand, adjusting his black leather gloves, and snorted loudly. He hated Editors.

"Mister Lagerfeld?"

He looked up and met a familiar pair of blue eyes.

"Just so you know, I'm in my worst mood and I'm ready to kill the first Editor I lay eyes on, Mister Meade," he snapped, looking away.

"Mister Lagerfeld, I'm sure you must be annoyed, I understand that-"

"You do?" the man hissed, standing up. He lowered dangerously his voice, clearly unhappy. "I'm so tired of you and your category. You Editors think you're so full of shit, you can do anything you want with your little magazines."

Daniel took a step back, feeling uncomfortable. Lagerfeld sighed deeply and brushed a hand through his hair. "I'm sorry for my outburst. I've had a tough day," he said, smiling apologetically at Daniel. "Why are you here? I thought my reps had pulled out a long time ago."

"Yeah," Daniel mumbled. "That's exactly what I'm here for. Maybe your trip wasn't completely wasted."

He waited, watching closely the man's features change into a curious expression. He looked at the giant clock in the airport waiting room and then back at Daniel. "Mister Meade, my flight will start embarking in less than ten minutes. You don't have much time, but go ahead."

Daniel took a deep breath and began with the speech they'd prepared the night before. "I know Mode's sales have been poor as of lately, but as the latest figures can prove it's a situation that's slowly coming to an end. Sales have increased a great deal, and many of your colleagues, Ralph Lauren to name one, have decided to jump back on board. It would be an honor to have you with us, especially given Elle's unfair and unprofessional treatment. Chanel has always meant so much to us, at Mode, and we assure you'll be the most featured advertiser." He paused and then, just like he and Wilhelmina had agreed on, he added: "Mister Lagerfeld, Chanel is the most important brand in the industry. You can't let the Elle people walk all over you."

It was almost as if a light bulb had one off inside the Creative Director's mind. Daniel saw the grimace slowly turned into a smirk, and he knew he had his attention. "Well, I guess my flight can wait. How about you offer me a cup of coffee, and we discuss this?"

When Karl Lagerfeld friendly slapped him on his shoulder, he felt on top of the world.

They had Chanel. It was just a matter of time.

***

"Mandy, you were brilliant," Marc exclaimed. The two of them were in his kitchen, waiting for Daniel to arrive. Wilhelmina was sitting on the sofa, watching a rerun of her interview on Fashion TV.

"I know," Amanda said, with a large smile. "I'm the most underrated actress in the world."

"After Sarah Jessica Parker."

They looked at each other and burst out laughing.

"Will you two please shut up?" came Wilhelmina's voice from the adjacent room. "I'm trying to listen to how fabulous I am."

"Oh Willie," Marc exclaimed, raising his voice to be heard. "If you want, I can tell you. You're fabulous."

"Thank you, darling," the woman replied.

Amanda grabbed the bottle of Martini and took a sip. Marc snatched it from her hand. "Mandy, I told you not to drink. I'm preparing appletinis."

"But it's taking you forever," she complained, jumping on the counter. Marc filled three tall glasses with the clear liquor. Then he went up to the cupboard and grabbed a short glass.

"Mandy, pass the scotch please," he said, pointing to the drinks cabinet. The girl took the bottle and handed it to Marc, who poured the amber liquid in the proper glass.

"Scotch, Marc?" Amanda asked.

"Appletinis for the ladies, scotch for the men," he explained, putting the four glasses on the tray.

"But there's three appletinis. And there's only me and Wilhelmina who-"

"Are you trying to say I'm a man?"

Amanda chuckled and hugged him. "No, Marcia."

They came into the room where Wilhelmina was still watching her own interview, Marc carrying the tray. He laid it down on the coffee table, and handed an Appletini to Wilhelmina. She grabbed it eagerly and took a large gulp.

"Uhm, are you nervous Willie?" he asked, tentatively, while handing another glass to Amanda and taking one for himself.

"Yes, Marc, I'm nervous. Daniel was supposed to let us know about Lagerfeld over an hour ago, and I still haven't heard from him," she snapped. "If you consider all the crap he's managed to do in four years, you'll understand why I'm the slightest bit nervous."

Just as she pronounced those words, the doorbell rang. She sprung to her feet and watched Amanda run to the door, opening it. Daniel came in, with his hands in his pockets, looking defeated.

Wilhelmina collapsed on the couch, with a hand on her eyes. "I can't believe it."

"Daniel," whispered Amanda, looking as saddened as Marc had ever seen her.

Suddenly, it was as if a cloud had just fallen upon them. Wilhelmina looked at him, with her hands still upon her mouth. That's when she saw a sparkle in his eyes, and his lips twitched.

"You have it," she said, realization hitting her. She circled the coffee table and ran to him. "You did it, you son of a bitch." She was smiling like he'd never seen her smile.

He suddenly let out a shout of joy, and threw his hands up in the air, showing them a stack of papers he had hidden behind the jacket. Amanda jumped on him from behind, hugging him. Marc started clapping his hands, jumping up and down. Wilhelmina had the most relieved expression on her face.

When Amanda finally let him free, running to Marc instead, he turned to Wilhelmina with a pleased, smug smirk. Wilhelmina tilted her head to the side and grinned in return. She turned and went to the coffee table, grabbing her glass and the one that Marc had filled with scotch. She walked back to Daniel and handed him the glass. "Good job," she said.

He took the glass from her hands and took a sip. "Actually, I'd love to stay and celebrate but I have to go."

"Where are you going?" asked Amanda, disappointed. "I thought we were planning on drinking ourselves silly and then doing a little role-playing."

"As much fun as that sounds…" he said, putting the glass back down on the coffee table. "I have a date. Sort of."

Marc was busy studying Wilhelmina's peculiar reaction. She was looking down on her glass, looking bitter. She turned and went to sit on the couch again, looking defiantly at Daniel. He noticed the fire in her eyes.

Daniel looked at her and mumbled, "We'll talk soon."

Wilhelmina nodded once, not even bothering opening her mouth to say anything. He turned around and left. The woman noticed Marc and Amanda's weird looks and narrowed her eyes dangerously. "Weren't you planning on getting wasted? Well, DO IT."


	8. Chapter 8

Never one to shirk an order from Wilhelmina, Marc immediately began dispensing the Appletinis. Holding one out for Wilhelmina, she looked at him and then at the drink. Ignoring the proffered beverage she stood and walked to the glass of Scotch that Daniel had abandoned.

'Enough of your shameful excuse for alcohol, I need a real drink.' She drank deeply from the glass, letting the amber liquid burn her throat. Holding the glass close to her chest she closed her eyes and inhaled before lifting the glass back to her lips and finishing the drink.

Marc and Amanda watched her; she didn't even grimace as she knocked back the strong bitter liquor. Opening her eyes, she turned to them; 'Any more?'

Marc nodded and inclined his head towards the kitchen. Wilhelmina took the glass into the kitchen, Marc and Amanda watching her every move. They turned to each other and spoke in hurried whispers.

'She's staying?' Amanda queried.

'I guess so.'

'What the hell happened, she was in a good mood and now she's all pissed again.'

'Ah, welcome to the wonderful world of Wilhelmina Slater.' He said in a wistful voice.

Their whispers stopped as Wilhelmina came back into the room carrying a now full glass in one hand and the remainder of the bottle in the other. The pair continued to observe her, pacing up and down Marc's lounge, eyes fixed straight ahead, every few steps taking a drink of Scotch.

'Wilhe...' Amanda began. Marc cut her off, placing his hand over her mouth. She turned to face him and screwed her eyes up in confusion.

'I know that look.' He offered as explanation. 'The red mist has descended; we're just white noise to her now.'

'Why?'

'I don't know...but we will in 5...4...3...2...1.'

'What the hell does he think he's playing at!' Wilhelmina exploded.

Again Amanda began to respond and again Marc stopped her. 'She's not looking for an answer.' He whispered.

'I mean. How long have we spent in these walls coming up with this plan!? Does he realise what I'm risking here? I've put all my energy into this and where's he putting his energy? Whoring, that's where!'

'It's just a date.' Amanda reasoned.

'Mandy no!' Marc attempted to stop her.

Too late.

Wilhelmina rounded on her, eyes narrowed into slits. 'Just a date? JUST a date? Amanda surely somewhere in among the hot air and candy floss you call a brain you can recall what Daniel Meade's biggest downfall is?'

'Uh...'

'Women, Amanda, I thought you of all people would know that.'

'But since Molly, he's really changed.'

'Has he? Let's review shall we. His wife dies and he spends 5 seconds mourning before bouncing on to you in the Bahamas and he hasn't looked back since. If anything the man is regressing.'

Amanda gasped. 'How did you know that?'

'Please, I know everything.'

She drank deeply from the glass again and tilted her head back. She laughed mirthlessly low in her throat.

'Willie...are you ok?'

She ignored him.

'Look,' Marc began, choosing his words carefully. 'You were the one who said we had to act as normal to avoid suspicion. Well, Daniel going out with a string of women_ is _normal. Besides, the plan's all set.'

'Yes Marc it is, thanks to me. I'm the puppet master here, pulling all the strings. Yet again I am sacrificing everything for Mode; every moment of my life right now is engineered to help that magazine. Is it too much to ask that the man, who is going to be my partner, does the same?'

'Willie he's just on a date, blowing off some steam. I think we could all use a bit of that.'

She stopped pacing. She downed the last of her drink and slammed the glass down. 'You're right.' She picked up her belongings and walked from the apartment without even a goodbye, finding a number on her Blackberry on the way.

xXx

Daniel sat at the table, looking at his date in front of him. She was talking animatedly about something but for the life of him he didn't know what. He couldn't take anything in right now; she was attractive, attentive and obviously interested. He should be in his element. He couldn't however shake the feeling that he shouldn't be here. Marc, Amanda and especially Wilhelmina had worked so hard to get to where they were now but he was the one that looked like a hero to the media, saving the failing Meade dynasty.

He shouldn't be here, on dates, without a care. He should have stayed with them and drank to their good fortune, celebrated their achievements as a team. It wasn't just that he should be there; he actually _wanted_ to be there. It had been good; actually being on the same side as her for once, he had been able to marvel at how she operated instead of being afraid that what she had set in plan was to ultimately take him down. For once, they shared a common goal and he wasn't ashamed to admit, he was glad. When he had arrived in Marc's apartment earlier that evening and produced the Chanel contract, they had shared a moment, a moment when there was absolutely no bullshit, no agenda, just shared jubilation that their magazine was well on the way to being pulled from the ashes.

He realised he had been lost in his thoughts when the woman opposite him simply sat staring at him, obviously waiting for a response to a question she had asked but which he had not heard.

'Daniel, are you listening to me?'

'Yes of course.'

'So what do you think?'

'I think....it's great.'

His date sat back and folded her arms. 'You think it's great that a photographer fired me because I wouldn't sleep with him?'

_Shit_

'Look...uh...' _oh crap, what's her name?_

'Francesca!' she supplied for him, angrily.

'Yeah, Francesca, look I'm really sorry. I just realised I gotta be somewhere.'

'Are you kidding me?'

He stood and threw a handful of bills on the table.

'No. Please, finish your meal.' He turned and left the restaurant.

xXx

Outside, now in a cab, he called Wilhelmina's cell. It went straight to answer phone. Hanging up he called Marc instead.

'Hellllllooooo, St James residence, name and inside leg measurements if you please.' Marc was obviously drunk.

'Marc, it's Daniel.'

'Yes Daniel, your measurements please.' Daniel heard Amanda shriek with laughter in the background.

'Marc gimme...gimme the phone.' She drunkenly slurred.

'No Mandy, you had your turn wooing the Meade machine.'

Daniel rolled his eyes at the obvious sounds of a scuffle on the other end of the line. After the sound of a slap and a loud "ow" from Marc, he heard Amanda's voice.

'Heyyyy Daniel, how's your date going, you love her yet?'

'I'm guessing the parties still in full swing. Look I'm on my way back, I feel lousy for bailing on you guys. I tried calling Wilhelmina but if she's in anywhere near the same state as you two I'm not surprised she...'

'Oh she's not here.'

'She's not?'

'No she left ages ago. Hoo-boy is she maaaaad achoo.'

'What, why?'

'Because you went on a date.'

'Excuse me?'

'She mad 'cos you away gallivanting with yow ho's.' She said in her best 'attitude' voice and he heard Marc howl with laughter.

Daniel sighed. 'Great, just great. Exactly what I need right now.'

'You can still come play with us Daniel, Milleweena drank all your scotch but Marc has plenty of apple crap left.'

'Appletinis!!' Marc shouted

'No thanks, look I'll see you later.'

He hung up on the giggling pair and tried Wilhelmina again. Still no answer, looking out the window he saw he was near her building. He called out to the driver.

'Hey buddy, change of plan.'

xXx

Daniel knocked on her door and waited, he heard muffled footsteps coming towards the door. The door opened to reveal Wilhelmina dressed, ready for bed, in a long ivory silk robe. Her hair falling in loose curls around her shoulders. Upon seeing him on her threshold her eyes widened.

'What the hell are you doing here?' She whispered harshly.

'I wanted to apologise for skipping out on you earlier, it was unfair.'

'As much as I like it when you come crawling, you need to leave now!' She tried to close the door but he stopped it with his hand.

'Look, just let me say my piece, will you? I realise that you have put a lot on the line to help me and I haven't really been forthcoming in showing you how much I appreciate it. It was wrong of me to let you do most, if not all, of the work and then swan off on a dinner date. I know that doing this...whatever it is has taken up all of your time and if you have to sacrifice all aspects of a personal life I guess I should too.'

'Great...now go!'

'Wilhelmina, why are you giving me the bums rush here?' He asked, becoming agitated with her demeanour.

'Are you dense?! You cannot be seen here!'

He looked around him. 'Willie, it's almost midnight, who the hell is going to see me?'

His question was answered when he saw an arm snake its way around Wilhelmina's waist. Looking up he saw Paulo Filgueiras appear over her shoulder. The man was shirtless and smiling.

'Ah, Mr Meade, finally come to beg Willie to come back to Mode have we? It's only taken you, what? Eleven months…a year? If only you had realized sooner she has more talent in her little finger than you have in your entire…'

'Paulo.' Wilhelmina interrupted him. 'Go wait inside for me.'

Paulo gave Daniel one last smug smile before planting a kiss on Wilhelmina's temple. He slid his hand from her body and walked away.

Daniel watched over Wilhelmina's shoulder until the man was out of sight and then returned his stare to her.

'You wanna tell me why you were all bent outta shape at me going out for a simple date but you have Mr Sleazy over for a booty call?'

'You wanna tell me why that's any of your damn business?' She countered.

He bit his lip and directed his eyes to the floor, trying to keep his temper in check, although why it was rising he didn't really know.

'Look, Amanda said…'

'Oh please Daniel, Amanda was half way to Margaritaville before you even arrived tonight.'

'But she said you were pissed at me.'

'When am I not pissed at you?' She said, arching an eyebrow.

'I left a perfectly fine date to come and see you!'

'Well who asked you to!?'

Daniel decided to change the subject. 'So you and...Pedro...'

'Paulo, Daniel, don't pretend you don't know who that was. You've wanted him for Mode for years.'

'Is it serious?'

'Why does that concern you?'

'Well your last boyfriend stole millions from the company and tried to ruin me, all for you, so I guess it's in my best interests to know if you're in a relationship.' He said sarcastically.

'Well unless you've rubbed your rich boy life in Paulo's face and stolen his fiancée, I'd say your fine.' She answered in the same tone.

He smiled at her. 'So, business as usual then?'

She smirked back. 'It would seem.'

He started to walk away. 'I'll..uh...I'll call you.'

'No, I'll call you. Goodnight Daniel.' She shut the door before he could respond. He smiled and walked to the elevator, questioning why he felt his gut twist at the thought of a certain Brazilian photographer. He hated the guy for refusing to work with Mode over the years.

_Yeah...yeah, that was it._

xXx

Wilhelmina walked down the halls of Elle the next morning, smiling inwardly at the flourish of activity the click of her heels incited from the staff around her. She was not in a good mood this morning, the combination of alcohol and sex had caused her to fall asleep before she could tell Paulo to leave and as a result she had woken up with him _spooning_ her. Spooning, for Christ's sake, why couldn't the man realise he was no more than a means to an end. He had left this morning promising her he'd make reservations for them that night. _Like she'd be keeping that date._

She was just about to enter her office when she heard a voice call out behind her.

'Wilhelmina.' She turned to see Robbie at the door to her own office.

'A word.' She turned and walked into the room; Wilhelmina rolled her eyes at the amateur dramatics of the woman and followed her inside, closing the door.

Robbie stood in the middle if the room, arms folded against her chest. Wilhelmina could tell she was fighting to keep her composure.

'You want to tell me what your little stunt was in aid of yesterday?'

'Stunt?' She replied innocently.

'Fashion Buzz, Suzuki St Pierre, "Robbie and I were in strong disagreement on some of my politics." Ring any bells?'

'Oh that, what about it?'

'Willie, we are supposed to be a team. No matter what disagreements we have inside these offices we need to be one voice to the media.'

'Now I know you don't believe that Robbie, a little inter office rivalry is always good to increase circulation. Dear God, why do think Mode's sales increased so much when Daniel and I shared power?'

'I don't follow.'

'Look, if readers suspect that the relationships in these offices are anything less than picture perfect then they will eat it up, scour every inch of our editorials to see any little jibes we can throw at each other.'

'Is that what you and Daniel did?'

'I did, Daniel doesn't have the intelligence.'

Robbie shook her head. 'I don't buy it, and I don't think you realize the trouble you caused.'

'Oh?'

'You have managed to paint me as the Wicked Witch in your little play. The readers aren't _enticed_ by it, they're _appalled_ by it. Arnaud Lagardère has threatened to suspend me, after years of faithful service to this magazine you come in and have almost managed to push me out…do you know what that feels like.'

'Are you seriously asking _me _that question?' She asked in disbelief.

'Well, luckily the damage you have done is not irreparable. We have a joint interview lined up with Suzuki to coincide with the MAMA Awards. We can show everyone how…how did you put it? "Picture perfect" our working relationship is.'

'I don't think so.'

'Excuse me? You have put my public and professional reputation in jeopardy with a few off the cuff remarks.'

'Well that was certainly not my intention.' She lied.

'Whatever, we're doing the interview. End of discussion.'

Wilhelmina inhaled deeply and moved to leave the office. Robbie called after her, the malice evident in her voice.

'Oh and you have been reinstated in all areas, you're once again welcome in ad meetings…but I'm sure that wasn't your intention either.'

Wilhelmina pulled out her Blackberry as she left the office.

_From: Wilhelmina_

_To: Daniel_

_Starbuck's, noon, we have a problem._

xXx

Betty walked past Daniels office and noted it was empty. It had been empty a lot these past few weeks. She was worried about her friend, the sales had been steadily improving, Mode was poised for a triumphant comeback, yet he seemed constantly on edge. Walking back towards her workspace, she saw Clare working at a nearby station.

'Hey Mrs Meade.'

'Oh hello Betty dear, how are you?' She answered with a smile; she always had a smile for Betty.

'I'm fine.' She sighed.

'Betty, I know that sigh. That's your, I'm not really fine and I want someone to ask me why not sigh.'

Betty pushed her glasses up her nose and tightened her arms around the files she was holding.

'I'm worried about Daniel. He's been out of the office more and more recently and whenever I try to ask him about it he just clams up.'

'He's been busy Betty, the magazine has taken a significant turn for the better and he's out meeting with designers and photographers. This is a fashion magazine, they're sort of essential to its continuation.'

'I know but…okay I know I shouldn't have done this. I looked as his date planner and for the past few weeks, since the White Ball, most of his lunch, dinner and evening appointments have all been with the same person…WS.'

Clare stopped her work; she shook her head and smiled at her son's stupidity. 'Ah Daniel, you and you're secret codes. However did you crack that Betty?'

'So it's true then.'

Clare sighed. 'Yes…as much as I hate to say it, he and Wilhelmina are…'

'Sleeping together?!' Betty finished, shocked.

Clare's head snapped around. 'What!? Oh dear God no Betty!'

She looked around and spied an empty meeting room. Grabbing Betty by the arm she pulled her inside.

'Mrs Meade, what's going on?'

Clare lowered her voice and looked around again to be sure they wouldn't be heard. 'Wilhelmina and Daniel are working together; she's coming back to Mode.'

'What? She is, in what capacity? Is this a good thing?'

'In the respect that she will help save this magazine, yes. In the respect that she will once again have equal ownership of the company my husband built for his children, no.' She responded in a resigned tone.

'I don't get it, why is it taking so long? When is she coming back?'

Clare straightened up and pursed her lips; she was unable to look at Betty as she answered. 'As soon as they've completed their first step.'

'Which is?'

Clare forced herself to look Betty in the eye. 'They're going to bring down Elle.'

xXx

Daniel walked into the coffee house and saw Wilhelmina sat at the same table near the back. He walked to it and sat down across from her.

'You're late.'

'It's 12.02.'

'Exactly, you're late.'

'You said we had a problem.' He said, ignoring her animosity.

'Robbie has scheduled a joint interview for her and me with Suzuki.'

'So?'

'So? If I have to sit and play happy families with Robbie Myers on television, how am I supposed to keep our readers thinking she's the bad one here?'

'You know, I've been thinking about that. It's one thing to try and bring down a competing publication…but to sabotage her personally?'

'Oh lose the conscience and grow some balls Daniel.' She bit back. 'If I do this, it will restore the reader's faith in her, out publisher's faith in her and it's a giant step backwards.'

'So don't do it.'

'How can I not? If I refuse to do it the Arnaud Lagardère will start questioning why I don't want to raise Elle's profile. Do you realize just how much I have riding on this? If this doesn't work…if they so much as suspect then I will be out on my ass before you can blink. No Elle, no Mode, no nothing.'

The two of them sat in silence, she drumming her fingers against the table and him blowing air through pursed lips, trying to think of a way around their current predicament. It was Daniel who finally broke the silence.

'Do the interview.'

'What?'

'Do the interview, you're right, you stand to lose too much. You can't afford to not to. There will be plenty of other opportunities for us. It might just take a bit longer, that's all.'

She threw her hands up in the air. 'Yes, but how much longer? I don't know if I can keep doing this.'

'You losing the balls and growing a conscience?' He smirked.

'Don't get your hopes up Meade.' She softened slightly and he saw one of the rare glimpses of vulnerability he liked to see. 'I just…I want to come home.'

'You will.' He began to stand, then stopped and sat back down and regarded her with a strange look upon his face. 'You know, as far as a "spanner in the works" go, this was pretty easy to solve, there was really only one logical answer.'

'So?'

'So, why did you need me? You miss me?' He teased, grinning.

'Yes Daniel, I rushed down here in a panic because I missed your pretty face and witty repartee.' She smirked back at him.

He stood to leave and began to walk away. Stopping in his tracks, he turned to face her. 'You know, I really can't believe I'm going to say this…' He laughed slightly, 'but whatever happens…' he paused.

'Oh spit it out Daniel.'

'You'll always have a place at Mode.'


	9. Chapter 9

Daniel walked back into the office with a smile. Strangely, knowing Wilhelmina Slater was on his side, in this battle, made him feel protected, as if no matter what happened, his back was covered. Risky, without a doubt, but reassuring nonetheless. To be honest, it was better to have such an evil genius working with him, rather than against him.

Thinking back to the times where they'd been constantly fighting, and comparing them to those where they had cooperated, there was no question to which had been the more useful. They'd saved the magazine, they'd saved the company, and now they were about to do it again. All because they were siding against a common enemy.

Be it Bradford, or Claire, or Cal Hartley, or the bail-out committee, they were always able to rise above and make the best of it. That was why, despite everything, he felt powerful. He just could not wipe that smile off his face.

"What's with the smile?"

Daniel nearly jumped out of his skin when he heard Betty's voice beside him. He'd been so deep in his thoughts he hadn't even noticed the girl walking behind him.

"Oh, Betty, hey," he greeted her.

"Where have you been?" the girl insisted, close on his heels.

"Uhm, lunch?" he suggested, feigning innocence.

The two of them stepped inside his office. Betty went straight to his desk, picking up his agenda.

"Funny," she said. "You told me you wanted to have lunch at the _Riverview_, and I had booked a table at the _Riverview_, but guess what? The _Riverview _called because, despite all the trouble I went through to make such a last minute reservation, you never showed up at the _Riverview_!"

"Stop saying _Riverview_," he said, folding his arms and grinning. "I'm sorry, I had an appointment, it came up suddenly and I couldn't cancel the reservation on time."

"What kind of appointment did you have?" she asked, putting the agenda back down. "I should have known about that, what do you think?"

"Well…they…they called me on my cell phone. It was…" he paused, struggling to continue. "..personal.

"Who are _they_?" Betty asked. "Does it have anything to do with the _W.S. _written in your planner?"

Daniel sighed. "How did you find the password?"

"_Playboy, _Daniel?" she said ironically. "Honestly. Anyway, who's _W.S._?"

He looked around, in need for a name. Why did all the names starting with a "W" sound so similar to _Wilhelmina_?

"Wi…Wil…Wilbur Smith," he exclaimed, his eyes landing on a book in his library.

"Wilbur Smith," she repeated. "And you've been meeting with Wilbur Smith for the past two weeks?"

"Yes," he affirmed. "We're actually in talks…for a book. He wants to write a book about me."

"Wilbur Smith wants to write a book about you," she repeated, looking completely unimpressed. "Daniel, Wilbur Smith lives in London. He writes about historical characters, thrillers, adventures. Not about Editors whose hardest decision, during the day, is choosing what to eat for breakfast."

Daniel slumped down on the armchair, and he pinched the bridge of his noise. "Consider yourself lucky. For a second, I even considered saying William Shakespeare, but then I remembered he's dead."

Betty smiled. "Daniel, I know you've been seeing Wilhelmina," she said, simply.

"Sorry if I didn't tell you," he whispered. "I guess I was afraid you would judge us. I know the way you think, and I know it's something you could never accept easily."

"Are you kidding me?" Betty exclaimed, clapping her hands together. "I might be always trying to do the right thing, but I'm not stupid! I'm all for this! And if you'd bothered to tell me, I would've helped you earlier."

Daniel smiled a little, feeling as if a huge weight had been lifted off his stomach.

"Anyway, who told you about that?" he asked.

"I kind of had it figured out by the end of the day, but your mother confirmed it to me."

Daniel nodded, chuckling. "I'm glad you're on board, Betty."

Betty jumped up and down, chanting. "We're gonna bring Elle down, we're gonna bring Elle down!"

Daniel rolled his eyes and laughed.

***

"No, Joshua. I told you we can't use the blue blazer for the center spread. Why? Because it messes up the whole concept!"

Wilhelmina and Marc were in a cab, headed towards his apartment, where they were supposed to meet Daniel and Amanda for the last time until after the MAMAs. Marc was on the phone with another junior fashion Editor.

"No!" he was hissing into the phone. "Joshua, tell me, you really think they used electric blue blazers in the post-war France of 1920s?"

Wilhelmina snatched the phone from his hands and brought it to her ear.

"Hi James," she said.

"Joshua," Marc whispered, leaning in.

"Joshua," she corrected herself. "This is Wilhelmina Slater, the woman who signs your paycheck. I don't want the goddamn blue blazer in my photo shoot."

She handed the phone back to Marc, who whispered something to Joshua, thrusting it back into his pocket; he then turned to Wilhelmina, with a big smile on his face.

"You need to be more authoritative, Marc," she said. "Try blackmailing, it always worked for me."

The car stopped and they stepped out of it. Their attention was immediately caught by the blonde standing against the wall, looking pissed.

"About time!" Amanda exclaimed, opening his arms in a theatrical gesture. "I've been waiting for ages."

Wilhelmina and Marc dragged the girl inside, quickly. "Have you lost your mind?" hissed Wilhelmina.

"Mandy, how many times did I tell you to use the fire escape?" intervened Marc. "Paparazzi might have seen you!"

"But Marc, I've always used the main entrance! I was here all the time, even before this thing, why should they be surprised to see me standing here?" the girl asked as they stepped inside the lift.

"Because they're following me, you silly girl," Wilhelmina chimed in. "What would they think if they saw me and you enter a building and none of us comes out until late at night?"

"I don't know, maybe something à la _Girls gone wild_?" she said, with a huge grin.

Wilhelmina turned to Marc, who had just covered hastily his friend's mouth. "Marc, what did she say?" she asked. "Tell me she didn't just say _Girls gone wild _referring to me?"

"Don't mind her. You knew Fey; she had a 75% alcohol level in her blood when she gave birth. Half the time, she doesn't know what she's saying. Or doing. Or thinking, either."

Amanda's eyes were wide open while her friend kept his hand pressed against her mouth. She tried to say something, but he shot her a warning look, pressing his hand harder against her mouth.

The elevator reached the floor and the doors opened. The three of them stood motionless as a bright spot of color appeared before their eyes.

"Betty," the three of them said at once.

"Are we ready to destroy a magazine?" she exclaimed in a sing-song voice. Daniel appeared behind her, with a small smile painted on his face.

"You brought the cheerleading squad, I see," Wilhelmina said, lifting an eyebrow. She stepped out, smirking as she walked past Daniel. Marc and Amanda followed; he opened the door and the five of them walked in. Wilhelmina threw her coat on the couch, heading straight for the kitchen.

Amanda turned to Betty, with her hand son her hips, looking her up and down. "You know, Betty, this mission just got a lot less sexy, now that you joined the fun."

Marc linked his arm with Amanda's, looking down on Betty with an amused expression.

"Guys, be good," Daniel chimed in. "We need all the help we can get."

Marc and Amanda nodded sweetly, but as soon as Daniel turned his back on them they turned to Betty again.

"Only Marc and I can call them _mum _and_ dad_," Amanda hissed.

"Amanda," came Daniel's warning.

"Yes, Dad!" she exclaimed, with a huge smile.

The man rolled his eyes just as Wilhelmina walked back into the room, holding two full glasses in her hands. He furrowed his brows.

"Can't go twenty-four hours without alcohol, Willie?" he asked. "Geez, and I thought my mother had a drinking problem."

She handed one to him. "Shut up and drink," she said. "And, for the second time, don't call me _Willie_. Do it one more time, and you'll lose your tongue."

Betty, Marc and Amanda shared a quick look; Amanda looked confused for a second, then she scrunched up her nose. "What, don't we get drinks too?" she asked.

Wilhelmina tilted her head slightly to the side. "Have you mistaken me for a waitress?"

"But you did make one for Dan-," she tried, but Marc cut her off again clapping a hand on her mouth. He smiled at Wilhelmina before dragging the girl to the kitchen. Betty, after shooting Daniel a quick glance, followed them, chuckling. Daniel turned to Wilhelmina with a curious smirk on his face.

"Stop it," she hissed. "I only prepared two because I know you drink the same stuff as me. It's not a big deal."

"Yeah," he said, unable to wipe the smirk off his face. He raised the glass, and she did the same. "I propose a toast," he said.

"A toast?" she repeated.

"Yes, a toast," he insisted. "To new beginnings."

She narrowed her eyes slightly. "This is not a toast. This is you, trying to be your usual sappy self. And probably hoping to get something in return."

"I swear I'm not," he clarified, with a smile. Their glasses touched and they both took a sip. Wilhelmina then put the glass down on the coffee table and took off her jacket. Daniel's eyes widened.

"_That _is what I call a very low cut," he said, unable to tear his eyes away.

Wilhelmina followed his eyes and understood what he was talking about. "Well, stop staring, eyes up."

"I…I think I can't," Daniel said, having serious problems taking his eyes off her neckline.

"Well, you have to," she said, grabbing his chin and lifting his face. He shook his head and blushed.

"Sorry," he whispered.

He looked into her eyes, and only in that moment they realized they were less than half a meter apart. She kept his stare, trying to decipher something in his eyes. He shifted on his feet, turning the glass in his hands. She moistened her lips with her tongue, and swallowed hard. Her mouth was suddenly completely dry.

She noticed him taking a step closer and she immediately reacted, taking a step back. "What are you doing?"

"I was…I was putting the glass down," he said, pointing at the now empty glass.

She let out a breath she didn't know she was holding and she nodded. He put the glass down, and she looked away. When he straightened up, he put a hand on her shoulder. She jumped at the touch. "Ok, NOW what are you doing?"

He put his other hand on her other shoulder, forcing her to face him. "I just want to tell you that…" he said, struggling to find the words. "I'm glad we're doing it together."

"We… doing what together?" she asked, her voice hardly above a whisper.

"Everything," he said.

Why was he getting closer with each word? Why on Earth was he looking down at her lips?

"Yeah," she said, taking a deep breath when his body touched hers, barely. "Yeah, I'm glad too."

"I think we…"

_Beep._

Wilhelmina looked her eyes and sighed deeply. That was the wake-up call she needed to get out of that insane trance. She shrugged Daniel's hands off her and took her Blackberry from her pocket. The phone started ringing as soon as she touched it.

"Wilhelmina Slater," she said, casting a glance at Daniel. The man was standing there, almost petrified by his own actions and what would have happened had the phone not brought them back to reality.

"Hello gorgeous," said the annoying Brazilian voice she'd learnt to recognize. "You're still on for tonight?"

_I never said yes, you idiot,_ she thought. "Oh, that. I'm afraid I'm going to have to cancel. I have…" she paused and looked at Daniel. "…something to take care of."

***

"What happened?"

"Did they kiss?"

"Amanda, move, I can't see!"

"Shut up, you two!"

Marc, Amanda and Betty were in the corridor of Marc's apartment, the three of them all trying to steal a glance of what was going on in the dining room. Just a couple of minutes before, they were about to enter the room when they'd heard the two editors whispering. Marc had stopped the two girls, pressing himself into the wall. They'd overheard them talking, and when he'd peeked inside the room, he'd seen the two standing close, too close.

He'd noticed the electricity between the two of them, but even more he was noticing the awkwardness now that Wilhelmina was on the phone and Daniel couldn't even look her in the eyes.

"What happened, Marc?" Betty asked, trying to peek inside. Marc shoved her back, rudely.

"I don't know what happened," he said. "You were distracting me!"

"I was not!"

"Yes you were!"

"Marc!" came Wilhelmina's voice. Immediately he stood up, causing Amanda who was leaning against him, to fall down with a thud. Wilhelmina and Daniel, upon seeing the girl on the floor, looking awkwardly up at them like a kid caught with her hands in the jam jar, shot each other a quick look, wondering exactly how much the three friends had seen.

"What were you doing?" Wilhelmina asked, suspicious.

"I was showing them the wallpaper," he said hurriedly, putting on a large smile.

"Yeah," chimed in Betty. "It's so…white. Shiny. Wow, it's…so white."

Wilhelmina waved her hand, shutting her up. "Enough." Daniel came up behind her, but she pretended he wasn't there and kept looking at the other three. "On to the serious things. The MAMAs are only a couple of weeks away, which means we will all be under the spotlight and meeting would be risky. This is the last time we see each other until after the ceremony. I can't stress enough how important it is for you to keep your mouth shut, and to act normal during the MAMAs. I don't care why, or what, if you happen to raise even the slightest suspicion I will personally take care of it and have you banned from Manhattan."

Amanda and Betty looked scared. Marc, who was used to her exploits, was simply nodding approvingly. Daniel, behind her, sneaked a hand on the small of her back, unknown to the others who were standing before them. He felt her stiffen, but she didn't move.

"I'm with Wilhelmina on this," he said. "It's a dangerous game we're playing, and even the smallest mistake can neutralize completely all the efforts we've made so far. It's important you understand this; it's not only Wilhelmina and Marc's positions that are on the line. If we make any mistake, it will only hurt Mode more, and we'll have to sell the magazine."

Amanda whistled. "You mean we'll have no jobs?" she said.

"And no heads," Wilhelmina chimed in. The warmth on the small of her back, where Daniel's hand was still resting, was unnerving her, but she was too afraid of being seen by the three people in the room to move. She shot him a glance, and he immediately moved his hand away, thrusting it in his pocket.

The movement didn't go unnoticed by Betty. She narrowed her eyes and looked at Daniel, who looked persistently at his feet.

The next three hours flew by. They were all sitting around the table, studying speeches, strategies and marketing schemes. Betty and Daniel had ordered Chinese, while Amanda and Marc were biting on their celery sticks. As Marc had said, _"Celery is for the pretty girls."_

Wilhelmina hadn't touched the food, but she had given a disgusted look to Daniel and Betty when they'd let some kind of sauce grease some documents. He'd grimaced, and she'd passed him a napkin, snorting loudly. "You two are kids," she'd exclaimed, shaking her head. Actually, she'd found it somewhat amusing.

At some point, Marc and Amanda had completely changed subject, discussing about something completely unrelated, such as Daniel's conquests.

"Do you remember Sofia?" Marc said, chuckling. "That was the most humiliating thing I'd ever seen."

"Yes, plus he dumped _me _for her," Amanda said, with a grimace at Daniel, who looked down as his spring roll. "Though, I gotta admit, nothing compares to Wilhelmina's sister."

"Don't remind me of that," Betty chimed in, rolling her eyes. "I've never been closer to death than I was that day."

"Don't remind _me_, please," Wilhelmina said, without looking up from the files she was going through. "He was constantly in my apartment."

"Oh, I remember that," Daniel whispered, grinning. "Did you know I saw her naked?" he exclaimed, turning to Betty.

Wilhelmina looked up, ready to kill him. Marc, Amanda and Betty gasped in unison. "Oh my God," exclaimed Amanda. "Do I need to prepare for something dirty?"

"No!" Wilhelmina exclaimed. "You are an ass," she added, turning to Daniel. He limited himself to a small shrug and a smug smirk.

"Explain!" Betty insisted. "When, how…WHY?"

"He just happened to walk in while I was taking a shower. By the way, you forgot to mention, I saw you naked too," she added, lifting an eyebrow.

Again Marc, Betty and Amanda gasped in unison, shifting their gazes from Wilhelmina to Daniel, who blushed. "In my defense, I can say I didn't know it was her," he said, lifting his hands. Then he turned to her, "Are we really playing the _Awkward Moments in the Lives of Wilhelmina Slater and Daniel Meade_? Because you did say you enjoyed what you saw, that day."

Wilhelmina shut her eyes as Marc, Betty and Amanda gasped once more. She looked reproachfully at Daniel, then she stood up and left the room. He looked at the three young friends, with a questioning look. The three of them looked away, and Amanda whistled again.

He snorted and got up, following her.

"That reaction was exaggerated," he said, folding his arms when he found her in the kitchen.

She spun around, with a hand on her hips and a death stare in her eyes. "What are you doing?"

"What am _I _doing?" he repeated. "What are _you _talking about?"

She quickly drew closer and, when she was close enough she hissed, "You need to stop it now."

"I have no idea what you're talking about, Willie!"

She slapped him. He looked at her in shock, his eyes wide and his mouth open. She pointed a finger against his chest. "I told you to stop calling me that."

He grabbed her finger. "You slapped me!" She struggled to free her hand and walked back behind the counter.

"You deserved it," she exclaimed, opening up the cupboard and grabbing a glass. He took a few steps and grabbed the glass from her hands. "Give that back."

"Let's talk without alcohol, shall we?" he said, putting the glass back in the cupboard. He used his hand as leverage and jumped on the counter.

"We have nothing to talk about," she said, and tried to walk away. He lifted his leg and stopped her. She puffed loudly, and leaned against the oven, folding her arms. "Fine, but be quick."

"You've been intolerable for the whole night," he said.

"Well, thank you, that was a great way to start," she said, trying to walk away again, but he stopped her lifting his leg again. She turned to him, and lifted an eyebrow.

"I…I wanted to apologize," he said. She looked confused; of all the things she'd expected him to say, that wasn't the first she'd imagined. "What happened earlier…"

"Nothing happened," she said, firmly.

"What was _about to _happen, then…" he clarified, slowly. "That was…out of line."

"Yes, it was," she agreed, pursing her lips together. When she tried to walk away for the third time, and once again Daniel stopped her, she bent and sneaked away. He was taken by surprise, so he jumped down and grabbed her by the arm in time, spinning her around.

"I mean it," he said, never letting go of her wrist. "I don't want this…whatever, to be a problem for us, for Mode, for Meade Publishing."

She nodded. He let her go, but this time she didn't move. "It won't," she said, incredibly self-conscious of the close proximity of their bodies for the second time that night. "Daniel, you really need to step back now."

He did as she asked and let out a breath. "So, nothing happened."

"Exactly," she said.

"We…were just talking."

"We were," she agreed.

"Fine," he whispered.

"Fine," she repeated.

He grabbed her by her forearms and he drew her to him, crashing his lips on hers. He took a few steps forward, backing her up against the fridge. She struggled to break free, at first, but he kept her in place, pinning her arms against the cold metal. Only when he felt her giving in, he let go of her and rested his hands on the cold surface, at both sides of her.

She cupped his face and started returning the kiss, eliciting a moan from him. His hands slid up her sides and behind her back, pulling her closer. She rubbed her pelvis against his, deepening the kiss and pulling him closer by the nape. He ran his hand through her hair, pressing her completely against the fridge.

"Daniel, Willie, look who's- OHMYSAINTSGOMARCHINGIN!"

Wilhelmina pushed him off her when she heard Marc's voice. She wiped her mouth and turned to the door where Marc was standing, motionless, agape. She shifted her eyes to the person standing next to him and decided that was a good day to die.

"Mom," said Daniel. "What…Why are you here?"

Claire seemed unable to move a muscle, except for the pulsing vein in her temple. Wilhelmina leaned back against the fridge and looked up at the ceiling, asking God why.

"Mom, I can explain, it's not-"

"Daniel, shut up," whispered Wilhelmina.

"Mom, I swear, it was not what you think you-"

"Daniel, you still have her lipstick all over your face," Claire hissed, and Wilhelmina noticed her hands were shaking. While, on other occasions, Claire's reaction would have made her feel proud and accomplished, this time she felt dirty.

Daniel wiped the lipstick off his lips, and made a move to reach his mother, but the woman took a step back, shaking her head, and turned around leaving the room. Daniel closed his eyes and rubbed his eyes vigorously. Marc cast the two of them a last glance, then he followed Claire.

He looked at her and she turned to leave the room.

"What, you're leaving too now?" he said, pissed off. "You're the last person who can walk away right now."

She turned around and shook her head. "Daniel, this…" she started, pointing at herself and then at him, "…this is wrong on so many levels. I'm going home, now. And I'll wake up tomorrow, pretending this never happened. I suggest you do the same. I'll see you at the MAMAs."

With that she walked out of the room, leaving him alone, in the middle of the room, trying to figure out exactly what had happened in the last four minutes and a half. In that small arc, he had kissed Wilhelmina, his mother had seen them and Wilhelmina had literally run away. Exactly, in which order was he supposed to solve things?

Should he start with analyzing exactly why he had kissed her, and even more importantly, how come she'd kissed him back and not beat him senseless? No, maybe the first thing he had to do was run after her and offer some kind of explanation. On second thoughts, should he deal with his mother first? After all, she could have had a heart attack as soon as she'd left the room, and he wouldn't be aware of that.

"Fuck," he said, walking back towards the dining room. Marc, Betty and Amanda were whispering with their heads close together. When they heard him coming in they pulled apart and moved their eyes on the surroundings, awkwardly.

Amanda bit her bottom lip; Daniel noticed her eyes were watering. Was she going to cry? Her face turned into a grimace and she looked up at the ceiling; then, at some point, she put her head down on the table, and Daniel noticed her shoulders shaking.

"Amanda, are you crying?" asked Daniel.

Amanda looked up and he saw she had indeed tears in her eyes, but it was also clear those weren't sad tears. The truth was she was laughing. And no, she wasn't chuckling, or simply smiling in amusement. She burst out laughing, bending down, holding her sides.

Marc joined her, putting his head between his hands, unable to keep a straight face.

Daniel looked at Betty, who was so obviously fighting an inner battle: her face was split in two. Her eyes were trying to keep an appropriate serious, grave expression, but her mouth was curled into the smallest smile.

"Oh my God," yelled Amanda, still laughing. "I can't breathe," she exclaimed, unsuccessfully trying to regain composure. "Oh my God," she kept saying in between laughs.

"You should… have seen… your mother's… face, Daniel," Marc said, unable to form a coherent sentence. He was positively howling.

"Where did they go?" he said, speaking to Betty who seemed the only one in control of her emotions.

"Home," she said. "Not together," she added, smiling sheepishly.

Meanwhile, Marc and Amanda were still laughing so loudly he was ready to bet they could be heard from the street. "Will you two shut up?"

Marc sobered up for a few seconds. "By the way Daniel, if you were going to do it against my fridge, you could at least ask."

There was silence, then they all - except for Daniel - burst out laughing, even Betty. Amanda fell from her chair and curled on the floor, completely abandoned. Marc was trying to recover his breath, but every time he managed to suck in some air, the laughing started again. Betty was laughing, covering her face with her hands.

Daniel was not amused. "I'll leave the three of you to your jolly night," he said. Betty tried to say something, to stop him, but her laughs were too pressing to let her finish a sentence. Daniel grabbed his coat and left the house.

Amanda stood up, leaning against the table. "Oh my God," she said when the laughs around the table had finally subsided. "That was funny."

"Yeah," Marc agreed. "I mean, Daniel and Wilhelmina! You should have seen them!"

"I so wanted to be there," exclaimed Amanda, sitting down.

"There were hands everywhere," Marc said, enthusiastically, _too enthusiastically_, moving his hands around.

"I need a cold shower," Amanda exclaimed, getting up and leaving the room.

Marc and Betty stood there, still chuckling at the thought. But at a certain point, it was almost as if the realization of what had happened, and what it implied, and just how tragic it was had hit them like a ton of bricks.

Betty looked up, with a concerned expression. "Daniel and Wilhelmina."

Marc did the same, with his eyes wide. "Someone's gonna get killed."


	10. Chapter 10

Daniel left Marc's building and looked up and down the street, searching for a sign of either of the women he needed to talk to. Seeing no sign of either, he stood still, swivelling his head. Should he go to the East side to see Wilhelmina and resolve what had arisen or should he go to Park Avenue to appease his betrayed mother? The next decision he made could alter his life, there was only one thing for it. Fishing around in his pocket, he withdrew a quarter.

Heads or tails?

xXx

Pacing outside the door he tried to assimilate what he was going to say, he ran a hand through his already dishevelled hair and exhaled loudly. He knocked on the door and bounced agitatedly on the balls of his feet as he waited for the woman inside to answer. The door edged open.

'Not now Daniel,' came the angry voice.

'Yes, now. Look, I'm sorry, but the longer we leave it, the more difficult this situation will become.'

'Situation?'

'Look, I know you're not exactly happy about what happened back there...'

'Not happy...not happy? Outraged, furious, repulsed...'

'Hey, you kissed me back Willie!'

Wilhelmina stood, hand on her hip, staring at Daniel. 'Why must you keep calling me that?'

'It's your name.'

'Not to you it isn't.'

'Stop this...stop this now, don't you dare retreat back behind that wall of bitchiness you so skilfully built around you. Not now.'

'Not now? You think that one, heat of the moment, foolish kiss has caused some seismic change in our relationship Daniel?'

'No, I think us working together, being on the same team and striving towards the same goal has!' he started shouting.

Wilhelmina saw the door of another apartment on her floor begin to open and hastily grabbed Daniel's arm and whipped him inside, closing the door. He was caught off guard as she had pulled him inside and his body ended up pressed to hers. Noting the, once again, too close proximity of their bodies she pushed him back.

'Keep your voice down, you cannot be seen here remember!'

'I think we're past that, don't you?'

She smacked her hand to her forehead in mock realisation. 'My God Daniel you're right! You kissed me, so obviously that means the plan we've been working on, the career I've put on the line, means nothing!'

He put his hands on his hips and clenched his jaw. 'I didn't mean that.'

'Daniel, go! We agreed we wouldn't see each other again until the MAMAs...It's too risky.' Her voice softened and he looked in her eyes.

'Is that the real reason?'

She ignored his question and opened the door for him, as he went to leave she stopped him. 'Did you come straight here?'

He nodded. She sighed and closed her eyes, leaning her head against the open door. 'Don't tell your mother you came here first Daniel...it'll crush her.'

He smiled. 'Wow.' He paused, 'Did Wilhelmina Slater just consider Claire Meade's feelings?'

She narrowed her eyes. 'No, and you're gonna want to shut up right about now.'

'Can I say one more thing?'

She inclined her head slightly, allowing him to continue. He stepped back over the threshold and brought his hand to her hip. In one move he pulled her close and pressed his lips to hers. She lifted her hand to his neck and held him, deepening the kiss. When he pressed his pelvis into hers, he heard her moan and he broke the kiss. Foreheads touching, eyes cast down as they regained their breath.

'This isn't over,' he whispered. He brought his hand up from her hip and cupped her face making her look at him. 'Not by a long shot.' He smiled and left her standing there. Walking towards the elevator he called out to her.

'See you at the MAMA's...Willie.'

xXx

He had ridden across town and was now standing at his Mother's door. He had tried knocking but she had seen it was him through the video intercom and had not answered. He used his key to let himself in. Walking through his family home, he realised how large and empty it seemed; he really didn't know how his mother could stand it. He found her sitting at the head of the large, ornate, mahogany table in the dining room, she was holding something in her hands. As he walked closer he saw it was a photograph of him, standing with his Mother, Father and Alex.

Claire didn't turn to face him but began talking. The low, unfeeling monotone of her voice, unnerving him.

'Look at us, look how normal we look...how functional.'

Her finger hovered over the image of herself, captured in the photograph. '_She_ stole her husband.'

The finger moved to Alex. '_She_ was willing to let him...her rot in jail.'

She then pointed to Daniel's smiling image. '_She_ pushed him out of his own magazine.'

Finally, her finger came to rest on the face of her husband. She trembled slightly and stroked the image. 'And _she_ put him in the grave.'

She turned to face her son and the wetness in her eyes broke his heart as she continued in a husky whisper. 'And you were kissing her.'

'Mom I...'

'Don't Daniel, there is nothing you can say.'

He looked to the floor, hands stuffed in his pockets. Claire walked from her position at the table to stand in front of him. She held his chin lightly and forced his eyes to meet hers and tried to smile at her son. She raised her hand so quick, he didn't see it, only felt the resulting sting from her slap.

'How long?'

He didn't answer, just rubbed his bruised cheek.

'Answer me Daniel, damn it, how long?!' She yelled at him.

'That was it...what you saw tonight...that was the extent of it.'

She raised her head up haughtily. 'And that's how it will stay.' She began to walk away from him, until her son's voice stopped her in her tracks.

'I can't promise that, Mom.'

Claire turned slowly, eyes flashing dangerously and mouth agape at what he had said. 'Excuse me?'

Daniel straightened himself up and faced his Mother with more bravado than he felt. 'You heard me.'

'After all the reasons I just listed to you, not to mention the countless others I didn't, you are telling me that you are considering pursuing something with that...that...monster?'

'Mom, she's...'

'She's what Daniel? Manipulative, malicious, conniving, dangerous?'

Daniel smirked slightly. 'Yes, she's all of those things...and she's none of them.'

She screwed her eyes. 'Are you high?'

'Mom, you're right. Everything you have said is right and I should be listening to the voice screaming at me to run...but the other voice telling me to see what this is, is getting louder. All the things you've said about her, I have known them, but for the first time in years, I know other things about her, another side. I need to find out who the real one is.'

Claire laughed. 'Oh yes, and you'll be blissfully happy, be married in Rio. Her forty plus hostile womb will magically produce you beautiful children and you'll never say a harsh word again.'

'Who said anything about any of that Mom? It was a kiss, you're getting a bit ahead of yourself. We don't even know what this is yet.'

'Don't you ever use the word _we _to me in reference to you and Wilhelmina Slater!'

'Mom...'

'Exactly! Mom! I am your Mother! How could you do this to me!?'

He walked to her and reached for her hand, she snatched it away but he moved quick and grabbed it again, holding it tight.

'Mom, I love you. I would never do anything to intentionally hurt you. I want you to be happy, don't you want that for me?'

'You really think you could be...with her?'

He shrugged. 'I don't know, but after what I've been through, I'd hate myself if I didn't try to find out.'

Claire straightened. 'I'd rather you were alone and miserable than happy with...her.'

Daniel smiled. 'No you wouldn't, and you would hate yourself for standing in the way...no matter how you feel about her. Look, we shouldn't even be fighting about this. It was one lousy kiss, for all I know, next week we could be back trying to kill each other and paying therapists huge sums of money to try and forget this ever happened.' He laughed.

Claire raised her other hand and gripped their joined hands. She finally gave in and let the tears, shining in her eyes, fall. 'I don't want to lose you...especially not to her.'

Daniel kissed his mother's head. 'You won't, I promise.'

xXx

Wilhelmina walked into her office the next morning. No sooner had she placed her bag on her desk did she hear the familiar prance of Marc's footsteps. She turned round to find him grinning at her, idiotically.

'Don't even bother Marc,' she warned.

'Okay.' He was still grinning. He looked at her and squinted his eyes, studying her face, his smile fell slightly.

'What?' she demanded.

'You have something...' He reached out a hand and indicated her face. 'Oh, it must be a rash from Daniel's stubble.' He cackled and fell back into a chair, swinging his legs.

She rolled her eyes and chewed on the inside if her cheek. 'God, I wish I could still intimidate you like I used to,' she mused.

'Oh you still can, but some things are worth the risk.'

She sat at her desk and booted up her laptop. Marc stood up and placed his hands on the desk, leaning into her.

'So?'

'So what?'

'Urgh, "_So What, you're still a rock star._" What do you think?'

'It's none of your business, Marc.'

'Ordinarily I'd agree, but seen as it was Daniel Meade, and your ass print is still on my fridge...'

'It was nothing.'

'You were kissing Daniel! You are Wilhelmina Slater and you were kissing Daniel Meade!'

'I'm aware of that, now...I have work to do.'

Marc threw his hands in the air. 'Am I the only one who thinks this is the biggest scandal since Posh started wearing flats?'

'Clearly...now shut up, here comes Robbie.'

Marc sprung up from the desk as Robbie entered the office. 'Willie, I've just spoken to Fashion Buzz and the interview will go ahead at the end of the week, give us that little bit more publicity before the MAMA's. I know you've kept tight lipped on your relationships at Mode since you left but you are officially opening that can of worms.'

'Excuse me?'

'After the problems we have had recently, we need to remind people of how badly they treated you. We need people back onside.'

'Look Robbie, I'm sorry if your public profile has slid so spectacularly but if you think I...'

'This hasn't come from me, it's straight from the big guns. You wanna keep getting paid, you help the magazine's profile...and that means my profile.' She smiled maliciously and left abruptly, closing the door behind her.

Wilhelmina slumped back in her chair. 'Fantastic, just what I need.'

Marc smiled. 'You're just mad you're gonna have to trash talk your boyfriend.'

She threw a pen at his head. 'Oh shut up Marc.'

xXx

That Saturday, exactly a week before the MAMA's, Daniel was sitting in his office going through paperwork. The offices were running on just a skeleton staff of dedicated employees over the weekend, which of course meant Betty and Amanda were there. He knew his mother was also in the building but he hadn't seen her all day. He had barely seen her at all in the past week and the brief moments they spent together were full of awkward silences and stilted conversations. His mother was obviously choosing denial as the best path to follow because the few sentences they had shared were about anything but Wilhelmina.

True to her word, Wilhelmina had not made any contact with Daniel, Amanda or Betty. Any messages needing passed were done discretely through Marc and Amanda. Every time his phone rang, however, he had jumped at it, expecting to hear her familiar drawl on the other end. He was beginning to get lost inside his head when he was disturbed by Marc marching into his office. Daniel smiled at the lame attempt at disguise, a trilby, sunglasses and collar of his coat pulled ridiculously high. No, no one would ever recognise him in _that_ ensemble.

'Morning Marc, to what do I owe the pleasure? Is uh...is Wilhelmina with you?' He tried to sound casual.

Marc pouted his bottom lip. 'Awww, Daniel needing his smoochies?'

Marc and Daniel heard Amanda in the background 'SNAP!'

'Very funny Marc, why are you here?'

'Mandy pants and I want to watch Willie's interview together.'

'That's today?'

Marc rolled his eyes and nodded. 'In, like, five minutes.'

'Betty!' Daniel called, moments later Betty and Amanda came into the office. Amanda was about to close the door when a hand stopped it and Claire walked slowly inside, crossing her arms.

'Mom, we were just going to...'

'I know, she's doing an interview today.' She spoke slowly, not looking in Daniel's eyes. Daniel noticed that she hadn't said Wilhelmina's name since she had seen him with her.

Daniel switched on the television and found himself looking at Suzuki St Pierre.

_Painted as the wicked witch of the wardrobe, run out of Mode magazine by pitchfork wielding Claire Meade and her hapless son Daniel. Now she's back on top at Elle magazine as her old rivals flounder without her, but recent reports would suggest that fellow Editor, Robbie Myers, may just be a Meade, mark two, as Wilhelmina is once again unappreciated by her peers, who, if you want the opinion of this humble reporter, are jealous of her undeniable talent in the industry. Here to set the record straight are Elle's exquisite Editors: Wilhelmina Slater and Robbie Myers. _

The camera view widened and Wilhelmina and Robbie came into view. Daniel's smile widened as he laid eyes on Wilhelmina for the first time in a week; his smile quickly fell as he saw his mother looking at him. Betty stood next to his mother watching the interview and Marc and Amanda sat side by side on his chaise. He turned his attention back to the screen where Suzuki was now addressing Robbie.

'_So Robbie, from what Wilhelmina said to us previously can we take it there may be mutiny in the ranks of Elle?'_

'_Not at all Suzuki, we at Elle know how lucky we are to have Wilhelmina on board. That's why we brought her straight in as a Co-Editor, we didn't try to stifle her in the Creative Director's position like the Meades did.'_

'_You mean to say Elle is a place where Wilhelmina can truly spread her wings?'_

'_Exactly.'_

'_But you banned her from ad meetings.' _Suzuki smiled sweetly, knowing he had caught Robbie out.

'_Well, even the best partnerships suffer differences of opinion from time to time. It's our mutual passion for the magazine that makes us such a good team, right Willie?'_

Suzuki and Robbie both turned to Wilhelmina, who had been silent so far. Daniel found himself holding his breath as he waited for her to speak. The woman on the screen smiled at Suzuki.

'_Quite. As you know Suzuki, I can be a tad overzealous when it comes to my work.'_

The people on the screen shared a small, completely fake laugh, at this understatement.

'_Robbie and I have developed a very strong working relationship in the past months. Arguments are par for the course in any high stress environment and nothing stresses me out more than fighting to keep my magazine on top.'_

Daniel smiled as he noticed the distinct lack of the word Elle in that sentence. Back on the screen, Suzuki seemed satisfied that Wilhelmina and Robbie were getting along as much as two high powered professional women can and turned his attention to Wilhelmina's past.

'_Now Wilhelmina dear, you have been notoriously quiet on exactly what led to you leaving Meade Publications. Did Mama Meade's decaying face become too hard to look at or did dum dum Daniel try to get you to join his cult?'_

Wilhelmina sat still, staring at Suzuki, not answering. Daniel walked up to the screen, folded his arms and stared at her image.

'C'mon Willie...what're you doing?' He whispered.

'Daniel...what?' started Betty.

'She needs to trash us, we talked about this, she can't arouse suspicion.' He linked his arms behind his head and returned his stare to the television, where she still sat silent. 'Willie, say something, c'mon, anything!'

He watched the screen and in her eyes he saw something flicker, as if she was being brought back to her senses.

'_To be honest Suzuki I was sick and tired of Daniel getting too big for his boots. I ran that magazine for him, tirelessly and I had enough of him getting all the credit. He seemed to think he could do it all without me and I felt it was time I let him see if that was the case. I think we can all see how well it turned out for him.'_

'_But in recent months Mode has seen a steady incline, are you concerned that the self-confessed former himbo is getting his act together?'_

'_Well the magazine world is a fluctuating market, we'll see if he can hold out on his own.'_

'_Oh Wilhelmina, do I smell another Slater Scheme to bring down the Meade's?' _Suzuki asked in delight.

The camera closed in on Wilhelmina's face and she stared at the lens. Daniel felt as if she was looking right at him through the screen.

'_Let's just say Daniel Meade will get what's coming to him.' _She smiled.

Daniel continued to stare at the screen as Suzuki wrapped up the interview, trying to decipher her last statement. Marc, however decided to vocalize it for him.

'Oh, someone's gonna get laaaaaaiiiiiiid!'

Daniel whipped his head around to silence Marc and saw his mother leave the room. He looked at Betty for guidance and she smiled slightly at him but could offer no words of comfort. Marc and Amanda, on the other hand, were happily dissecting Wilhelmina's interview.

'I mean, she could have been meaner about him.'

'Hell, she was meaner about him when she still worked with him.'

'Well that's before they lip locked,' Amanda pointed out.

'True, and helloooooo, innuendo much!'

'Totally, and did you notice the way she never once swore her allegiance to Elle, just said _my_ magazine or _the_ magazine.'

'Aww Mandy, allegiance? That's a big one for you, word of the day toilet paper?' He smiled.

'Calendar.' She returned the smile.

'She gives me chills.'

'She gives me goosebumps, what does she give you Daniel?' She grinned up at him.

'Very funny Amanda. Look, you guys can leave. We can wrap up the rest on Monday.'

Marc, Amanda and Betty stood to leave.

'Marc.' Daniel stopped the man. 'Tell Willie...'

'Yesssss?' He smiled.

'Tell Willie...' he cleared his throat. 'Good job, and I'll see her at the MAMA's'

Marc tutted, obviously looking for something juicier; Daniel actually felt quite bad for him. He laughed slightly. 'And tell her she looked great.'

Marc smiled again, 'Will do.' He linked arms with Amanda and left. He laughed as he heard Amanda talking to Marc. 'Aw Mom and Dad are falling in love,' she sing-songed. The duo laughed and walked out of sight.

Betty walked to her boss and placed a hand on his shoulder. 'You okay?'

'Yeah, I'm fine.'

She nodded, 'You know, now that the hilarity has worn off, I'm worried about what this, you and Wilhelmina thing, could do to you.'

'Betty, there is no "me and Wilhelmina thing."'

'Not yet.'

He sighed, 'Look, I'm not a kid, believe me I know why you and my Mom are concerned. I'm not entering in to anything lightly here. I just know that I haven't seen her since that night and...'

'You missed her?' Betty finished for him.

He nodded. She ran her hand along his shoulder. 'Be careful.'

xXx

The interview had caused Elle's circulation to increase slightly but not enough to recover the dent they had caused in the first place. Mode's sales had, once again, increased and were showing no signs of stopping. Daniel had still had no contact from Wilhelmina regarding their next move, it was now Wednesday and the MAMA's were being held on Friday. He had managed to go nearly the whole two weeks as agreed. He laughed to himself, if anyone had told him a couple of years ago he was going to have a 'Wilhelmina Slater free fortnight' he'd have cracked open the bubbly. As it was now though, he found himself furtively checking his cell for missed calls and messages, checking his emails every hour, but nothing.

Bored now, he clicked on random icons on his computer and opened his contact list. Scanning the list online his heart skipped when he saw her name appear. He clicked open the box to send her an IM.

_No, she said no contact...but it's only two more days....exactly ONLY two more days, you can wait....yeah but we won't be able to speak properly in public...she will bust my kneecaps for not listening to her....when have I ever listened to her._

Fuck it.

_D_Meade : So, I'm getting what's coming to me huh?_

He stared at the screen waiting for a reply. _Shit, _he thought, _what if Robbie or someone else from the office was with her!?_

_WS_Elle: Wow, the interview was four days ago and that's what you've managed to come up with._

Daniel let out a breath of relief.

_D_Meade: Oh shut up :) _

_WS_Elle: Did you just smiley face me? How old are you?_

_D_Meade: How old are you? :P_

_WS_Elle: I'm ignoring that._

_D_Meade: I panicked that I might have sent you a message while some Elle do-gooder was lurking._

_WS_Elle: No, just Marc. Thanks for that by the way, he's now grinning like an idiot._

_D_Meade: lol_

_WS_Elle: Oh dear lord, lol Daniel? Lol? Seriously?_

_D_Meade: Oh come on it's a time saver._

_WS_Elle: See that's your problem, always cutting corners, never taking time._

_D_Meade: I do where it counts :D_

_WS_Elle: Great, now Marc's ran from the room cackling._

_D_Meade: Oh hold on...3...2...1...Yep there goes Amanda's phone, and there's the cackle. So Marc's gone huh?_

_WS_Elle: Goodbye Daniel._

_D_Meade: No wait, we need to talk about the MAMA's_

_WS_Elle: What are you wearing?_

_D_Meade: Or we could do that...what are you wearing? _

_WS_Elle: For God's sake Daniel, don't be gross! I meant to the MAMA's, what designer? I need to make sure I don't match you so you look utterly unfashionable. Not that it's too difficult._

_D_Meade: Oh, Valentino._

_WS_Elle: Good, I'll be in Dior. I'll see you Friday._

Before he could reply she signed off from the browser. He smiled to himself, at least he had made some sort of contact now. Now he just had to worry about her and his mother coming face to face in two days time.

xXx

Daniel sat at Mode's table at the MAMA's, pulling at the collar of his Valentino tuxedo, it was a tight fit. He wished he had worn the Dior one Betty had shown him as an alternative but he had a strong suspicion Wilhelmina would have murdered him. He kept shooting glances to the entrance, trying to be casual but he couldn't stop his eyes coming out on stalks when he finally saw her enter. She was wearing a brilliant white, floor length gown, the thin material like a second skin. It was slit on one side, right to her hip and was backless, the top half held in place by a scooping halter neck. Her hair was sleek and straight, she had opted to depart from the loose curls she had been sporting of late. He had been so busy taking in the sight of her approaching her didn't notice the man behind her until his hand brushed the bare skin on her back.

'Paulo.' Daniel said in a low voice.

Wilhelmina walked to her table, trying not to turn and look in the direction of the Mode employees; she could feel Daniel's eyes scorching her. From the corner of her eye she saw Daniel stand up.

_Don't come over, don't come over, don't come over._

She closed her eyes in annoyance as she saw him weave his way through the crowds towards her. Back at the Mode table she saw Betty put her head in her hands, obviously as dismayed by Daniel's decision as she was. She set her jaw firm as Daniel approached, when he was face to face with her she swallowed.

'Daniel.'

'Wilhelmina...and Paulo, you two are becoming a regular fixture together.'

Paulo curled his arm around Wilhelmina's waist. 'Yes we are Mr. Meade, in fact I think it's safe to say I'll be moving from regular to permanent," he said with a smile, flashing impossibly white teeth.

'Is that so?' He fixed Wilhelmina with a stare and she begged him with her eyes to drop it.

'Yes, I'm not going anywhere, I know when I've got a good thing...unlike some.'

Daniel cleared his throat, still looking at Wilhelmina. 'Well, I just wanted to wish you luck for tonight. No hard feelings.' His voice had become disheartened.

He walked away, Wilhelmina watching him the entire time.

xXx

Later in the night, Daniel had helped himself to many of the complementary glasses of champagne and was trying with all his might not to look at Elle's table where Paulo's arm was draped over Wilhelmina's chair. Wilhelmina, to her credit, was not paying him any attention and was speaking to Marc on the other side of her. Daniel paid little attention as Mode's category was read out and it came as no surprise when Elle was announced winner. Daniel watched as Wilhelmina rose from the table and he grimaced when Paulo leaned in to kiss her. He felt his spirits lift as she turned her head to avoid his kiss, causing it to land on her cheek instead of her lips.

Wilhelmina walked to the podium and allowed Robbie to step forward and collect the award. This time last year she had stolen Daniel's speech in order to make the acceptance herself. This time, however, she was happy to let Robbie have the lime light. Once again, she was filled with mixed emotions: pride that she had won this award, proving she really was the best in the business and disappointment that Mode had not won, the magazine she called home. As Robbie spoke, Wilhelmina smiled and scanned the room, her eyes finally resting on Daniel. His stare was so intense she felt the heat rise up her cheeks. She knew that look, she had seen it on many men, many times.

As she descended back down the steps, Robbie and their award in tow, she realised she needed to get out of there. This was not the place to come up with any further plans and she could feel the atmosphere getting dangerous. She, Daniel and the others could reconvene in Marc's apartment in a couple of days and this ridiculous tension will have cleared.

Back at the table, she told Robbie she wasn't feeling well and excused herself. Robbie was so preoccupied with the furore over the award at the table she didn't care if Willie was there or not. Paulo was more than happy to leave and immediately took her arm as they walked away. Daniel watched the couple and realised they were leaving. Getting up quickly he told Betty he was going to the bathroom and made his way through the room. Approaching the foyer, he saw it was empty, with the exception of Wilhelmina and her date.

'Feeling sick huh?' Paulo smiled. 'I couldn't wait to get outta there either. Let's go back to yours and celebrate properly.'

Daniel's stomach clenched as the photographer's hands roamed up and down Willie's arms as he leaned in for a kiss. Wilhelmina inched her head away and took a step back.

'Paulo, not tonight. I'm really not feeling well.'

The man's hands remained on her and he leaned in again. 'Stop playing hard to get.' He smiled. 'You were perfectly fine until ten minutes ago.' He brought his lips to hers and she shoved him off.

He kept his grip on her arms. 'Get off me!'

'Oh come on, I sit through all these bullshit events with you and I get nothing. That's not how it works princess.'

Daniel felt his blood boil and his fists clench. He walked into the foyer and marched towards the couple. 'I think you'll find _princess _said no.'

Paulo smirked at him. 'Go back to your empty table Meade, this doesn't concern you.'

'Get your hands off her,' he said in a much calmer voice than what he was feeling.

Paulo ignored him and tugged on Wilhelmina's arm. 'Come on, we're going to your place, now.'

Daniel pulled on the man's shoulder. As he spun around, Daniel brought his fist up and it smashed into Paulo's face.

'Daniel!' He heard Wilhelmina shout and it was joined by voices from behind him. Marc, Claire and Betty stood at the entrance to the foyer. Daniel was still breathing hard with anger and kept his fists balled, staring at the man on the floor who was holding his nose, blood seeping through his fingers.

'You son of a bitch!' His words were muffled by the blood in his mouth.

'Get out.,' Daniel growled.

The man jumped to his feet, still holding his broken nose and looked at the sea of faces before him. Deciding it was more hassle than it was worth he threw his hands in the air in contempt and left, muttering as he passed Wilhelmina, 'Fucking tease.'

As soon as he left, Wilhelmina rounded on Daniel. 'What the hell are you playing at?!' she yelled.

'He wasn't taking no for an answer! I was protecting you, no need to thank me!' He matched the level of her voice.

'Please, you think I can't handle myself? What if someone had seen Daniel Meade standing up for Wilhelmina Slater, you could have ruined everything!'

Claire started marching towards them, through the foyer. 'Don't you dare speak to my son like that, he doesn't need to take that anymore!'

'Oh here we go, the old sow coming to the aid of her little piglet.'

'Listen to me Wilhelmina, you came to us with this offer, we are helping you! Foolishly, I might add, after everything you have done to destroy my family.'

Wilhelmina took a step toward Claire, closing the gap between them. 'You know something Claire, "destroy" is a word you sure like to throw around when it comes to me and your family. Your husband had an affair spanning two decades and countless other infidelities, your eldest son let you think he had died, came back as a woman, tried to murder her father and kill his unborn child. Your youngest son jumped from woman to woman popping pills and God knows what else because he felt he could never measure up to the Golden child you and Bradford put on a pedestal. You...you have a drinking problem that would put Oliver Reed to shame and murdered your husband's lover.'

She stepped even closer and leaned right into her face. 'So tell me Claire, who really destroyed your family?'

Claire stepped back from Wilhelmina, effectively silenced. Wilhelmina faced Daniel, who was looking at her with anger.

'Oh what Daniel!? What that I just said is untrue? You know what, I'm sick of playing the fucking villain. I have staked everything I have to help you but I'm still the god damn bad guy!'

'You'll always be the bad guy Wilhelmina, I know this little thing you have got Daniel thinking you two have is another one of your plans to destroy him.'

'There's that word again! All I am trying to do is get home, back to the place I have poured my life into, the place you know I deserve to be, no matter how much it galls you. And as for Daniel...he instigated it, but you know something? It stops, it all stops now.'

'What are you talking about?' Daniel asked, and she moved to look at him.

'Maybe this was a stupid idea. Elle just won the award, the interview I was forced to do has erased some of the work we put in damaging Elle and Robbie and now, if I come back to Mode, she....' She pointed to Claire, '...has another reason to be a constant pain in my ass thanks to our little moment! Maybe we should forget it.'

'Willie, what are you saying?' Daniel was getting worried.

'Maybe I should stay at Elle.'

'No!' This was from Daniel and Marc.

'Well if we're all going to be at each other's throats instead of working together it's never going to work.'

All heads turned to Claire. She looked around them, shocked. 'What! So now it's my fault?'

'How does it feel to be the bad guy Claire?' Willie asked, condescendingly. Claire remained in stony silence as Wilhelmina stared at her. Finally Willie looked to Daniel. 'Well...let me know what you decide.'

She started walking to the door. 'Wilhelmina,' Claire called out to her. Willie stopped and twisted to face her. Claire moved to again come face to face with her, swallowing her pride and lifting her head in the air, she raised her hand out to Wilhelmina. 'I will keep my feelings out of it...but if you hurt my son in _any _way, I will make you pay in ways you can't even imagine,' she whispered.

Wilhelmina smirked and lifted her hand, the whole room silent as Claire grasped it, and the women who had held each other with nothing but disdain shook hands and entered an uneasy truce. Daniel breathed a sigh of relief as the treaty was reached, eternally grateful to his mother.

The shake now broken, Claire made her way back across the room, speaking to Daniel as she passed. 'The party spirit has suddenly left me, I'm going to collect my things and leave if you don't mind.' Daniel nodded to his mother.

'Yeah I should go back to the table, we don't want Elle noticing the table emptied just after Wilhelmina left,' said Betty and followed Claire.

Marc bustled over to Willie. 'You feel like rejoining us now Paulo the scheeze is gone?'

'No Marc, I'm going home.'

'Ok, Daniel?' Marc questioned.

'Uh, I think I'm going to head out too, I'm kinda beat.'

Marc smiled, 'Of course, you want me to arrange a cab for you?' he asked, feigning innocence.

'No, that's ok...I'll uh, I can do it myself.'

'Ok, well I'll just wait with you Willie, make sure you get in a car safely, after all you had a nasty shock with Paulo.' He was still grinning maniacally, loving making the pair more and more uncomfortable.

'That's fine Marc, you can go back inside, I'll see she gets home ok.'

Marc straightened up, smiling wider. 'I bet you will.'

'Marc!' Willie barked.

'Yes Willie, sorry Willie.'

'Go back to the party. Make sure Robbie is occupied.'

Marc smiled one last time and scurried back to the main hall. Daniel looked up at Wilhelmina.

'So...'

'So...' she echoed

'It's late huh?'

'It's nine thirty, Daniel.'

'Oh! Well it...uh feels later.'

She looked at him as if he were crazy. She walked out the building and hailed a cab. Getting in, she paused as Daniel slid in next to her.

'Well I did just promise Marc I would get you home safely.'

'You're damn lucky all the reporters are safely ensconced inside the hall.'

The drive to Wilhelmina's apartment passed in total silence, each looking out their respective windows. As they pulled up to her building, she got out and the driver turned and said the same four words that were said the last time they shared a cab to her home.

'Are you staying sir?'


	11. Chapter 11

Daniel turned to her, not knowing what to say. She smirked, lifting an eyebrow.

"You know, I meant it when I said I'm not feeling well," she whispered.

Daniel sighed and nodded. She moved to open the car door, but he stopped her. Leaning in, he brushed his lips against hers. She pulled back, looking at him. "Good night," he said, her breath mixing with his.

She turned to the driver. "No, he's not staying," she said, opening the door and stepping out. When she closed the door, Daniel lowered the car window, peeking out.

"You won't run away forever," he said. She turned, hearing his voice and titled her head questioningly. "Sooner or later you'll have to admit it to yourself."

She smirked. "Later, probably," she said, and she turned round, walking inside the building. He chuckled, and then he told the driver his address and leaned back against the backseat. He was still grinning like an idiot.

An idiot with a very annoying hard-on.

***

Marc downed the last bit of champagne in his glass and put it back down, laying his head against the table. Amanda and Betty were sitting at the same table, in the big ceremony awards room, now completely empty, except for a few waiters cleaning up.

"Are you drunk?" Amanda asked, chuckling. "Because I totally am," she added.

Marc had his cheek against the white tablecloth, looking completely lost. Betty looked at him and couldn't help but laugh. "Marc, you need to go home," she said.

"Yeah, I do," he slurred. "Wait, shall we stop at Daniel's?" he said, lifting his head and looking suddenly much less disoriented. "I bet we'll find Wilhelmina there."

"Ew, no Marc!" exclaimed Betty, finishing her drink. She was feeling dizzy, too, but she was still able to recognize a possibly life-threatening decision. And barging inside Daniel's apartment that late, when Wilhelmina was there, was a life-threatening decision.

"Oh my God, Marc, you just had the most brilliant idea ever!" Amanda exclaimed, springing on her feet and helping Marc to get up too. "We can make up some excuse, and show up on his door! I bet they could ask me to join them," she said, dreamily.

"Oh Mandy," Marc said, trying to stand on his own feet. "If anything, they would ask me."

Betty stood up and helped Amanda carrying Marc. "Guys, this is not a good idea."

"Oh shut up, Betty," Marc said. "You go ahead and do the right thing; we'll do the fun thing." Amanda nodded. Marc finally found his balance and started walking on his own feet. Betty saw them as they walked away, leaving her behind.

"Wait!" she exclaimed, running behind them. After reaching the two friends, just outside the room, in the big reception, she stopped them. "Daniel will not be happy!"

"Do you care, Mandy?" asked Marc, turning to Amanda.

"Uhm, not really," she replied, and they went round Betty, walking ahead.

"Let's put it this way," Betty said, calling out. "Wilhelmina will kill you."

Marc stopped and turned around. "Which makes it even funnier," he said, with a huge smile.

Betty rolled her eyes and once again ran after the duo that was now walking on the sidewalk. "I'm coming with you," she said.

"Decided to join the fun party?" Amanda said, linking her arms with Betty's.

"Mandy, stop touching her!" exclaimed Marc.

Amanda, in response, looked at him and linked her other arm with his. The three of them walked, together, none of them completely stable. "As soon as you come back at Mode," Amanda told Marc, "we're going to have a huge party."

"Yes, but not in my apartment," he said, lifting his arm to stop a cab. He opened the door, letting Amanda in, and followed right after her. Betty rolled her eyes and jumped in after him.

"We'll have it at Wilhelmina's," Amanda continued. She leaned closer to the driving seat and told the driver the address to Daniel's apartment, and then she continued. "She's going to let us, won't she?"

"I don't think so, Amanda," Betty said, shaking her head, but unable to suppress a grin.

"Why?" Amanda said. "I mean, at least then she and Daniel can have sex without bothering other people's furniture!"

"SNAP!"

But it hadn't come from Marc, or Betty. The three looked at the driver, who was smirking. "Sorry, that was funny," the man said.

Marc looked at Amanda, and then shifted his eyes upon Betty, and the three started laughing.

***

The following morning, Betty entered Daniel's office with a pounding headache. The man looked at her, curious, dropping the files he was holding.

"Betty Suarez," he said, folding his arms. "If I didn't know you, I would say you look like you're going through a hangover."

"Oh, shut up, and tell me you have a pill for this damned headache," she grunted, falling on the long chaise.

"Sorry, I usually cure my hangover before coming in," he said, lifting an eyebrow.

"Oh, don't preach," she said, pinching the bridge of her nose, moving the glasses higher up on it. "I don't get it, why do you people get drunk? I mean, it's horrible."

"Well, while you're drunk you can get away doing things you couldn't do. You can always say, '_Hey, I was drunk, not my fault'. _I mean, that's why I do it. There are people who do that only for the pleasure of not remembering anything the day after. Like my mother did."

Betty snorted. "Well, I'm never touching alcohol again."

"How much did you have, last night?" he asked, sitting down on the opposite chair.

"One _whole _glass of champagne," she exclaimed, sitting up.

"That's it? I thought you'd cleaned out Amanda's liquor cabinet," he said, laughing.

"Well, for some people a glass of champagne is enough," she said. "Anyway, let's talk about something else."

"Let's not," he warned, noticing the look in her eyes. "We're not having this conversation again."

"What conversation? I just wanted to know if your night was better than mine," she said, suggestively.

"I know what you want to know, and I don't want you to know what you want to know," he said.

"Ok, now you're just being mean and taking advantage because I can't follow your twisted speeches with this headache," she said, standing up. "Oh, by the way, Amanda is not coming in today."

"What? Why?"

"Because when I last saw her she was throwing up out a cab window," she explained. "And I guess that was a blessing, because if Marc and Amanda hadn't started feeling sick, they would have shown up at your apartment."

"Excuse me?" he said, bewildered.

"Yeah, they had this weird idea of just knocking on your door to see who would answer…" she said, trailing off.

"And who do you think would have answered?" he asked, furrowing his forehead. Betty hesitated. "I would have, Betty, because I was in my apartment, and I was there by myself. In case you're wondering…"

Betty smiled. "I wasn't."

The phone rang, and Daniel looked at it. "I need a new assistant, and Wilhelmina has already stolen Amanda."

"What do you mean _stolen_?" Betty asked, concerned. Daniel raised a hand, silencing her, as he picked up the receiver.

"Daniel Meade," he answered.

"Good morning, Mr. Meade, this is Jennifer, calling from the _Times_ offices," said a girly young voice on the other hand. "I'm calling on behalf of Richard Stengel, the managing Editor. We're writing a piece on the _Top 10 Most Influential _in the fashion magazines industry, and we're glad to announce you'll be featured as the eighth in the list. We are going to need you for the cover shoot and the related interview."

Daniel couldn't help but look triumphantly at Betty. "Sure!" he exclaimed. "Set the date and I'll clear my schedule."

"I'll send an email with the details by the end of the day. Goodbye."

"Perfect. Goodbye," he said, putting down the receiver. He stared at it, before throwing his fist up in the air and yelling jubilantly.

"What? What happened?" Betty asked.

"Betty, you're talking to the eighth most influential person in the fashion magazines industry!" he exclaimed, straightening his jacket.

"Wow, Daniel! This is amazing!" she yelled too, jumping up and down. "Eighth out of…?"

"Ten," he said. "But I'm still in the _Top 10_, and after all we've been through it's a miracle I'm even on the list!"

"I guess Wilhelmina will be featured too?" the girl asked.

"Most definitely. She's always been the second, right after Anna Wintour," he said, and he smiled reminiscently. "God, she hates that," he added, chuckling. "You know, they want me for the group shoot for the cover," he said, posing in front of the full-length mirror.

"Betty looked amused. "How about Robbie?"

"Last year she came in fourth, but she's been down to fifth place before. I, instead, have never been on the list, which is why I'm more than satisfied with my eighth place."

"Well said," Betty exclaimed, patting him on his back. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to go rip my head off before it explodes."

He barely acknowledged her as she left, absorbed as he was, posing and admiring his figure. "Well, hello there, Mister eighth-most-influential-person-in-the-industry," he whispered to his reflection, keeping his voice low.

"Are you talking to yourself again?"

Daniel spun around just as Claire stepped on the threshold.

"Oh, mom," he greeted her, slightly blushing. "I have big news."

"I just spoke to Betty," she said, with a small smile. "Congratulations," she concluded, nodding and turning to leave.

"Mom, wait," he called after her. She stopped and waited for him to go on. "How long it this going to last?" he asked, then, pointing between the two of them.

She shook her head. "I said I wouldn't stand in your way, Daniel; I never said I would like it."

His shoulders fell, as Claire left the room. At the same time a loud beep echoed in between those walls, distracting him; he reached into his pocket and read the text.

_From: Wilhelmina Slater  
To: Daniel Meade  
8__th__? You should celebrate._

He smiled at the blatant invitation, and typed a reply.

_From: Daniel Meade  
To: Wilhelmina Slater  
I'd love to celebrate with the second most influential, at least._

He waited anxiously, looking at the screen. He felt like a teenager with a crush, one of those who sleep with his cell under the pillow, waiting for the girl to answer to the most stupid of questions.

When he heard the beeping sound, he read the text with a hint of nervousness.

_From: Wilhelmina Slater  
To: Daniel Meade  
You can drop by this afternoon. Paparazzi will be covering the Vera Wang fashion show._

He swallowed the lump that had formed in his throat, and he wondered if the heating system in the building had broken. Why was it suddenly so hot, in there? He stared at the phone until it rang. The surprise was such he nearly dropped the phone. He answered without checking the ID.

"Yes," he answered.

"Yes to what?" asked the voice on the other end.

"I'm sorry, who is this?"

"Daniel, it's me!" Amanda exclaimed, indignantly. "So, you sleep with Mama Mode once and now you forget all the women you happened to casually have sex with before?"

"For God's sake, why is everyone suddenly so interested in who I have sex with?" he said, looking up at the ceiling.

"Sorry to burst your bubble, but we're more interested in Wilhelmina's sex life. And seeing as you are part of it, right now…" she trailed off. "Speaking of _right now_, I've spent the last two hours drinking coffee and popping pills for this terrible headache, but you'll be glad to know your precious little helper is about to come in to work."

"Good," he said. "Look, is Marc there?" he added, hastily.

"Yes, you want to pass a message to Mommy? Tell her you love her and want to have lots of babies? Well, they'll never be as cute as Marc and I," she concluded, raising her voice.

"Amanda, I don't know what kind of issues you have, but…just, put Marc on the phone, please," he said, giving up.

He heard noises coming from the other end, and then he heard Marc's groggy voice. "What?"

"Marc, can you clear Wilhelmina's schedule for tomorrow morning?" he asked.

"Why?" Marc asked, and he seemed all of a sudden much more awake.

"Can you do it?" Daniel insisted.

"I don't know, Daniel, tomorrow is Sunday, She always goes to the spa on Sunday mornings. If she doesn't, she's tense all week."

"Unless you're planning on other ways to help her relax!" came Amanda's voice from the background.

"Forget about the spa, if that's the only thing she has scheduled for tomorrow I want you to cancel it," he said.

"Daniel, I'm not her assistant anymore, I don't have any control over her agenda!" Marc exclaimed.

"Please, as if you're not continuingly snooping around. You know you can do it, you just don't want to do it because you want me to tell you why I'm asking this."

"That's a really good analysis!" Marc agreed. "So, are you going to tell me?"

"No!" Daniel affirmed adamant.

"Fine, fine!" Marc caved in. "I'll cancel the spa, but I hope you're planning on giving her plenty reasons not to kill me as soon as she finds out."

"And the reasons start with an 's' and end with 'ex'!" shouted Amanda again, bursting into a fit of giggles.

***

Marc pressed a finger to his temple, trying to fight the persistent headache. The elevator doors opened and found himself face to face with Wilhelmina.

"Hello sunshine!" he exclaimed jovially. "Where are you going?"

Wilhelmina narrowed her eyes. "You're hungover."

"You know, after almost five years I still don't know how you do that," he said, grimacing. He stepped out and she stepped in. "Where are you going?"

"Home."

"But...it's only 2pm," he said.

"I have a life outside this office, Marc," she said, pushing the button. Marc stopped the doors with his foot. "What?" she asked, sighing.

"You mean you have a _sex_ life?" he said, wriggling his eyebrows.

"Marc," she said, slowly lifting a finger. "I'll pretend you didn't just say that. Now, you'll move your foot and the doors will close and this will be forgotten."

Marc widened his eyes and immediately moved his foot. The elevator doors closed on a very bewildered Wilhelmina Slater. He turned around and headed towards his office when a familiar voice stopped him.

"St. James."

He turned and saw Robbie Myers coming forward along the corridor. He put on a big smile and tilted his head. "Robbie, what a pleasure," he said. "Looking fabulous as always."

She lifted an eyebrow. "I just finished your evaluation, Marc."

Marc's breath was caught in his throat. "But I thought Wilhelmina-"

"I know it's usually Wilhelmina's duty, but I thought I might as well take a look at how you're working," the woman said, smirking. "I must say I'm impressed."

Marc was positively terrified. He had no idea if she was actually praising him, or if that was just part of Robbie's elementary schemes to stand in Wilhelmina's way.

"I've decided to assign you to the new Dior shoot."

Marc stood there, agape. "Dior? Christian Dior?"

"How many Dior's do you know?" she asked, lifting a brow.

"Oh, I don't know, there was this guy from Massachusetts who-"

"Marc."

"Yes."

"As I was saying," she continued, speaking slowly, putting emphasis on each word. "Christian Dior needs out best Fashion Editor. I'm giving this opportunity to you, and I expect you to make the best of it. This shoot is, without any doubt, the most important thing that will ever happen in your career. I can say without hesitation that if you manage to do this, a lot of doors will open up, right in front of your eyes."

"Wow," he whispered. "I…Thank you, Robbie."

She nodded lightly, still smirking. When she turned around he remembered something. "Wait, when is the shoot?"

"Oh, you're right I forgot," Robbie exclaimed, passing a hand over her forehead with an innocent smile. "It's on Wednesday."

"Wednesday?" he repeated. "But…You know Wilhelmina and I have to go to that charity event on Wednesday. She asked me ages ago."

"Oh, she did?" asked Robbie, widening her eyes, feigning ignorance. "I'm sorry I had totally forgotten about that. Looks like you'll have to cut the cord with your boss, doesn't it? Such a pity."

With that she tilted her head to the side, smirked and turned round, walking away. Marc looked down, tightening his grip on the briefcase. Then he snorted and headed straight towards his offices. "I hate the world!" he shouted.

***

She studied the big room of her apartment, trying to be sure nothing was out of place. She always loved to impress people who entered in her apartment. Sure, this wasn't the first time Daniel was in her house, but it would be the first time they were alone. He'd been there during parties, with dozens of people, waiters, photographers. This afternoon, when he would step in, there would be nothing else.

When the doorbell rang, she jumped lightly. She glanced at her watch, quickly, and she smirked. It was 3 o'clock. He had surely not wasted any time playing hard to get.

She walked up to the door, took a deep breath and opened the door. On the threshold was Daniel Meade, dressed in a long black coat. She eyed him up and down, and then opened the door wider to let him in.

"Is that Armani?" she asked, studying the coat he was taking off.

"What?" he asked, not understanding what she was referring to.

"The coat."

"Oh, this," he said, throwing it on the hanger. "I guess so."

She smiled and walked past him. He followed her to the drinks cabinet, where she grabbed a bottle. He shifted uncomfortable on his feet.

"Why are you being so awkward?" she asked, opening the cupboard and grabbing two glasses.

He opened the bottle, chuckling. "I don't know," he said, pouring the liquor in the glasses. "Isn't it awkward for you too?"

"We're drinking, Daniel," she said, leaning with her back against the bar. "There's nothing awkward in drinking. We always do. You and I can only be in the same room if there's alcohol, too."

He smirked and raised his glass. "What are we drinking for?"

"To celebrate your eighth place," she explained, letting their glasses clink. "That's an incredible achievement for someone who five years ago was so busy stalking Gwyneth Paltrow."

"I never stalked her," he pointed out. "And by the way, I think we should celebrate your second place, too."

She smirked. "Oh, I don't think so."

"They dropped you to third?" he asked, his eyes widening.

"Not really," she said, looking down upon her glass.

"Are you kidding me?" he exclaimed. "Are you above me, at least?"She looked up, lifting a brow. He felt a familiar heat rise to his cheek, under her stare. "I…I didn't mean it like that," he said.

"Daniel, stop being such a nervous wreck," she exclaimed. "And yes, I am above you. We can't celebrate my second place, because we need to celebrate my…first place."

Daniel's mouth fell open, and she smirked, walking towards the couch. He followed her with his gaze, and a huge smile formed on his lips. "You owe me."

"What?" she asked, sitting down and crossing her legs. "I owe you nothing."

He was still smiling, and he sat down next to her. "Really? You owe me _lots_. That first place is only because my mother was such a bitch to you."

"Then I might owe it to Claire," she said, rolling her eyes. "But don't tell her, I'll be damned before I'll be the one giving Claire Meade an ego boost."

He finished his drink and sat the glass on the coffee table. She looked at him over the edge of hers, somewhat amused by the nervousness of the man.

"So…" he said, looking round. "Did you receive the email with the details for the shoot already?"

"No." she said, putting her glass next to his and turning to face him. "You know you're the only man in the group right?"

"Too bad," he said. "I'll be surrounded by nine of the most beautiful women in the industry. Others would be jealous."

"Daniel, have you ever seen the other editors?" she asked, smirking lightly.

"No, but I just assumed they're all like you," he said, his eyes fixed on her legs.

"Oh Daniel, I'm sorry," she said, in a low husky voice. "Unfortunately, I'm the only one who looks like this. The others are more the _Wintour _types."

"Well…" he began. "I must consider myself lucky then."

She puckered her lips, hardly hiding the grin that was appearing slowly on her face. He brought a hand on her knee, inching the fabric higher, massaging her leg. Suddenly the only noise in the room was their breathing, as she could only focus on what he was doing. He leaned closer and captured her lips with his, demanding but not imposing.

She closed her eyes, and sneaked an arm around his waist. He took it as an invitation and pushed her back until she was resting against the couch, standing above her. He pulled away, looking into her eyes for a second before she recaptured his lips, pulling him closer. In her movements there was an urgency he couldn't ignore. He settled in between her legs, pressing into her body.

She hastily undid the knot of his tie, throwing it aside, and started to work on the buttons of his shirt. Never breaking the kiss, he ran his hand along her leg, finally cupping her ass and pulling her up towards him. She moaned into the kiss, and gave up on the last buttons, tearing the fabric apart and pulling it out of his pants. She slipped her hands under the fabric of the shirt, around his waist, sinking her nails in between his shoulder-blades.

He deepened the kiss, pulling her closer by her neck. Her hands began working on his belt, when suddenly her movements ceased. She turned her head to the side, staring at something, with a bewildered expression painted on her face.

He followed her gaze and he looked at the closed door too. "What?" he asked, his breathing still uneven.

"I think I heard something."

"You're hallucinating," he whispered, kissing her neck again. She ran a hand through his hair, pulling him closer, but still on edge.

That's when they both heard the knocking on the door.

"Shit," he whispered, leaning his forehead against her shoulder.

She pushed him away and jumped up from the couch, smoothing her dress. "It's Marc," she said, sighing. "He was being nosy, earlier. I bet he decided to come and see what was going on."

She walked up to the door, while Daniel tried his best to button up his shirt without the missing buttons that had flown somewhere. She opened the door, but shut it back closed immediately, flattening herself against it with a look of horror. "That's not Marc," she hissed.

"Wilhelmina! What's going on? Did you just slam the door in my face?" came the voice from the landing.

He shook his head, questioningly. Wilhelmina brought a finger to her lips, telling him to be silent, and then she mouthed something. "It's Robbie."

Daniel's mouth fell open, and he jumped up. "Where do I go?" he mouthed back.

"I don't know, just hide!"

He ran outside the room, and Wilhelmina counted to ten before turning and opening the door again. "Robbie," she said, with the widest smile. "Dear, isn't this a pleasant surprise? Weren't you supposed to be at Vera's show?"

Robbie narrowed her eyes, looking past Wilhelmina's shoulder, inside the apartment. "What's going on? Why did you slam the door in my face? Are you with someone?" she asked, pushing the door open.

"Robbie, where are you going?" Wilhelmina asked, following the woman inside. "I'm alone. I was…naked. I just got out from the shower."

Robbie turned around and looked at Wilhelmina's attire. "Wow," she said, slowly. "You're fast."

"It's a gift. And a torture."

Robbie smiled unpleasantly. "I came by to see if you were still adamant about not wanting to go to Vera's show with me."

Wilhelmina looked around, shifting on her feet uncomfortably. "I can't," she said, studying the surroundings for any trace of Daniel, and that's when she noticed the two empty glasses on the coffee table. Her eyes widened, and Robbie noticed that; following her stare she saw the glasses too.

"Wilhelmina, are you sure you're not with somebody?" Robbie asked, suspiciously.

"Yes!" Wilhelmina exclaimed, a little too hurriedly, and her voice took a high pitch she wasn't used to, and it reminded her so much of Betty Suarez. "Those are from last night. You know, I had someone here last night."

"After the MAMAs?" Robbie insisted.

"Sure," Wilhelmina said, hating the damn pitch of her voice. She cleared her throat and tried to go back to her usual tone. "Why?"

"No, nothing," Robbie said, shrugging. "Just asking."

The woman turned and headed towards the door. Wilhelmina followed her, sighing in relief, but Robbie stopped dead on her tracks. Wilhelmina saw her bend over and pick something from the floor. When she turned around, she was holding a tie. Daniel's tie.

_Crap_, Wilhelmina thought.

"You are so not alone," Robbie whispered, giggling. Wilhelmina snatched the tie from her hands and ushered the other woman to the door. "Why don't you tell me who he is? Is it Paulo? Or is he someone else?"

"He is nobody," Wilhelmina affirmed, opening the door. Robbie stepped out, still giggling. "When did you become so interested in who I sleep with?"

"You're such a whore," Robbie said, laughing and walking away.

"Well, that was a compliment," Wilhelmina said to herself closing the door.

"Hearing a woman calling you a whore is strangely arousing," said Daniel.

Wilhelmina saw him on the threshold of the corridor, leaning against the threshold with his arms folded. "Well, don't get used to it," she said.

He came up to her and circled her waist. "So, shall we continue where we left off?"

She put a hand on his chest just as he leaned in and pushed him back. He was confused when she shook her head. "Daniel, I think you should go now."

"What? Why?" he said, stepping back.

"Just because," she replied, brushing his shoulder on her way. "We need to think about this very carefully, we can't jump in head first. There's too much on the line."

Daniel rolled his eyes and snorted noisily. "God, why do you always have to do that?"

"Do what?" she asked, narrowing her eyes. "I'm the only one who has the brains to stop the madness and reason, here, I think I'm the only one who's right."

"Yes, of course you do," he said. "You always do."

"Come on now," she said, biting back a smirk. "Don't be a baby. These things take time."

He tucked his shirt inside his pants and looked at Wilhelmina. She threw his tie at him, and he thrust it in the pocket. Then he walked up to the hanger and grabbed his coat, putting it on too. She closed the distance between the two of them, taking his hand and making him turn around.

"I'm not saying it won't happen," she whispered as he looked down on her. "I'm just saying it's not that easy."

He nodded and drew her closer, kissing her. She brought a hand around his neck, pressing herself into him. And just as the kiss was becoming more heated, she pulled back.

"Go," she said, pushing him outside the door. He chuckled, thrust his hands in his pockets and walked away.


	12. Chapter 12

Marc tentatively entered Wilhelmina's office on the Monday morning, he still hadn't told her he would be unable to attend Wednesday's event with her. He was hoping that Daniel had managed to keep her in a good mood over the weekend; you do not stand up Wilhelmina Slater if you would like to keep your appendages. Before he could utter a greeting to her, she looked up from her work.

'Oh good, you're here, I have a question for you.'

He didn't reply, from the tone of her voice he knew she wasn't expecting him to.

'Would you, by any chance, happen to know why, when I turned up to my Spa appointment yesterday, Rodrigo told me all my treatments for the day had been cancelled?'

'You mean you still went to the spa?' He blurted.

'I knew it, you cancelled it didn't you? Why would you do that, you know I've had the same Sunday morning ritual for years.'

'Well...uhh...you see...Daniel asked me to.' Marc stammered.

Suddenly realising exactly why Daniel had asked Marc to do this and also that Marc, Betty and Amanda would now be thinking all manner of things about what Mr Meade had planned for the Saturday night, she decided to drop the matter. Marc, however, held on to it like a dog with a bone.

'So, Daniel's big plans fell through then, no wonder you're so mad about the spa, you must have been really tense.' He said grinning.

'I don't know what you mean.' She said, distracting herself by arranging papers on her desk.

'Oh come on Willie, I know you better than anyone. We all know that this undercover scheming together has moved on to secret sexy spy territory. We all just hope you two hurry up and get it out of your system so things can go back to normal and I can stop worrying about what piece of my furniture you're going to attack next.' He grinned.

He watched Wilhelmina's eyes shift and her hands wringing together and his eyes widened. 'Oh my God, this isn't just about getting it out of your system is it? You and Daniel...OHMYGODYOUANDDANIEL!'

'Marc will you keep your voice down! If you're done having an aneurism can you please leave?'

'Actually Willie, there's something else.' His tone suddenly became sheepish.

'If the next sentence out of your mouth includes the words "Wilhelmina", "Daniel" or "sex" I will make you pee blood.'

He smiled slightly, 'No, no, it's...I can't come to the benefit with you on Wednesday.'

'Oh.' Up went the eyebrow.

'Robbie has asked me to cover the Dior shoot.' He closed his eyes tightly, waiting for the eruption.

'Okay.'

He peeked one eye open and saw she was completely calm, once again engrossed in her work.

'Okay? What no stapler to the head, no nipple twisters, no scalding coffee in my crotch?'

She looked up puzzled. 'Well if you want any of those things I can certainly oblige.'

'I thought you'd be mad.'

She walked round to him. 'Marc, as much as it pains me to say this, I realise the world does not revolve around me and Mode. Every now and then there is a little room for something else to take precedence; your career should be one of them.' She smiled.

Marc smiled and clasped Willie's hands. 'Aww Willie.'

'Marc, hands!'

'Oh, sorry.' He dropped her hands at once and she walked back around the desk. Marc was still smiling at his boss.

'Willie, what's this benefit for anyway?'

'Oh I don't know...children...trees...cats? Does it matter as long as I look like I care?'

He laughed. 'I s'pose not, so seen as I can't come and there's no way you'll be taking Paulo after the disaster at the MAMA's, you want me to find you a date?'

'That's not your job anymore; Dana can do that, if she stops trembling long enough to dial the phone.'

'I know Willie, but I let you down, I'd be happy to do it.'

She pouted. 'Actually, I think I'm gonna go stag to this one, I can be fabulous all on my own.'

'And of course Daniel might be there.' His wide grin she had come to loathe was back.

'You know I currently have a stapler and a cup of coffee to hand.' She threatened.

'Bye!'

xXx

The next day Daniel was sitting in a chair in Betty's small features office, swinging about like a monkey in a playground.

'Daniel, you've been like this since you got the call. I'm very happy you're on this list but I can't get anything done if you continue to act like a toddler.'

'It's just...argh Betty, it's all happening! It's actually working, a couple more months of this and Mode will be well and truly on top and Wilhelmina will be where she belongs.'

'And would you be referring where she belongs in the magazine or..?'

'Funny.'

'Not trying to be. Marc told me you called for him to clear Wilhelmina's schedule for Sunday.'

'Did he?' Daniel asked in innocence, Betty widened her eyes at him and nodded her head, urging him to continue.

'Look Betty, I don't know what you're expecting me to say, so I'm opting for nothing.' He smiled.

He was saved further questioning by Amanda entering the confined office.

'Ew Betty, crack a window, it smells of churros in here.'

Betty rolled her eyes.

'Daniel, you had a call from the Times, you have to be available on Friday for a photo shoot and interview. They'll send a car around noon.'

Daniel stood up, 'Thanks Amanda.'

Daniel went to leave the office.

'Wait, we're not done here.' Betty squawked.

He smiled. 'Yes we are.'

xXx

The Wednesday morning arrived and Marc woke up with, what felt like, a million butterflies in his stomach. Today was the day of the Dior shoot, his chance to shine, to prove himself away from Wilhelmina's shadow. With the exception of YETI, this was probably the first thing he would do in his career that she couldn't take credit for, but that also meant if he screwed up, he wouldn't have her to fall back on.

When he went in to the office, Wilhelmina's office was empty, he had been hoping to go in there and subtly get pointers on the shoot. Who was he kidding, she'd see through him in a second but he needed a familiar presence right now.

'Marc!'

He spun round, smiling at the bark of his name, but it quickly fell when he saw it was not Wilhelmina but Robbie stalking towards him.

'Okay Marc, the shoot is all set up, go downstairs to the studio and familiarise yourself with the photographer. The concept is agreed but Wilhelmina has persuaded me to let you have final creative control so you have free reign. Do NOT mess this up.' She turned and walked away.

Marc made his way to the elevator, palms sweating and stomach in knots. He was in a daze as it travelled down towards the Elle studios. Robbie's words were ringing in his ears.

_Do NOT mess this up._

_Wilhelmina has persuaded me to let you have final creative control._

_Of course, _he thought, _Willie wants me to have creative control so I can ruin this. It's another "let's bring Elle down tactic" Exactly the same as when she let me supervise the Valentino shoot for Mode._

While the thought did not please him, he reasoned that she had put a hell of a lot more on the line than he had. He wanted to show he could do a good job, but he would do this for her. It was all just a way to get back to Mode. He would lay down the reputation he had just begun to garner, for her, for Mode.

Stepping out of the elevator he slid open the large red steel door to the studio and stepped inside. The vast room was already a hive of activity, models scurrying to and fro from makeup and wardrobe, lighting technicians setting up equipment, looking harassed. Looking around for the photographer, Marc saw him in the distance, his back to him, hunched over his camera, taking test shots.

Marc straightened himself up and tried to look authoritative as he approached the photographer.

'I'm Marc St James; I'll be overseeing this shoot.'

The man turned around slowly and Marc gasped. The face in front of him was leaner and more defined than when he had last seen him, his eyes harder, but it was still him.

'Cliff?'

His former lover cleared his throat and gestured to the scene set up for the shoot. 'So...uhm...yeah, I was looking over the clothes we're using on the cover. Very 20's, very Charleston era, so I was thinking we shoot in black and white, strike some silver grey undertones and go for the whole flapper girl look.'

Marc hung his head and smiled sadly. _So this is how he's playing it. Pretend we never existed._

Marc shook his head to clear it and remember he had a job to do, for Wilhelmina.

'Fine, we'll go with that, but I want them in dancing positions.'

'What?' Cliff questioned.

'You said Charleston and I'm agreeing, I want happy, lively dancers on my stage. And we can shoot in black and white but I want the lips and cheeks on the women to stand out in deep reds and shocking pinks, the men too actually.'

'So you want them to look like clowns?' Cliff was unable to hide the disbelief in his voice.

'Exactly.'

Cliff raised his brows and turned away. Marc ordered the models back for more makeup and retreated to the folding director's chair behind Cliff. He watched him work and his heart felt heavy, he still hated himself for what he did to him, could still see the utterly crushed look on his face when he told him he had been unfaithful. He had been so scared of commitment, he knew it was no excuse for hurting someone you love, but he was truly sorry and he had never stopped missing the man in front of him.

'Cliff...'

'Don't Marc...just don't, I'm here to work.' Cliff didn't turn to face him.

xXx

Wilhelmina was on her way to the benefit, she still couldn't remember what it was for. If anyone asked she would just nod and say what a deserving cause it was, that always worked. Dressed in a sweeping, one shouldered, black Dolce and Gabbana gown, she pulled on her long matching black gloves as she stepped out of Elle's elevator. She had decided to stop in at the shoot first to see how Marc's debut was coming.

Opening the door and stepping inside, she stopped like a deer in the headlights as she took in the scene around her. Her models were throwing each other around the stage, legs and arms flailing, happy expressions on their face, the clothes blending into obscurity.

'Marc!' She snapped, loudly.

Marc came bustling up to her, smiling proudly. 'Whad'ya think Wilhelmommy? Is this trashy or what? This cover is gonna bo-omb!' He said theatrically.

'What the hell are you playing at!? Please God don't tell me that after almost eight years of working alongside me, you have learned absolutely nothing!'

Marc lowered his voice and leaned in. 'Okay I'm confused, is this whole screaming at me thing, part of the plan?'

She searched his eyes. 'Plan, what plan?' She rolled her eyes at him as realisation hit. 'Oh dear God Marc.' She grabbed his arm and pulled him out of the studio, away from prying eyes and ears.

'Marc, this is not part of the plan. I do not want you to jeopardise your career for me. If this all comes crashing down around our ears then I have the financial stability and notoriety to survive it...you do not.'

'So this...'

'This is for you Marc, forget me, forget Daniel, and forget Mode. Get your ass back in there and do the job I know you are capable of.'

Marc smiled at Wilhelmina. 'Don't hit me but...' he leaned into her and hugged her briefly. 'Thank you.'

She narrowed her eyes at him. 'If you've crushed my Dolce, I'll crush your Gabbanas.' He continued to smile at her until she gave a small smirk back, she inclined her head towards the door so he would return to the shoot then she turned and left him.

Marc clapped his hands together and walked back into the shoot with his head high. He walked up to Cliff, who looked at him voluntarily for the first time that day.

'So I guess she's still a capital C huh?' He smiled.

'Actually...she's ok.' He smiled, 'Well a lower case C anyway.' He grinned back and he felt that old fluttering in his stomach as they held each other's stare.

'Okay!' Marc shouted to the masses. 'As you all heard just now, it appears Ms Slater isn't happy with this concept. Models, back to make up, chop chop!' As the models did as they were told, Cliff tapped him on the shoulder.

'So, we're going back to my idea then? Wilhelmina and Robbie did already sign off on it.'

Marc smiled. 'No...I have another idea.'

30 minutes later, Marc was smiling broadly as he watched the models posing in front of him. He had kept on board Cliff's idea of shooting in black and white, and he was right, the dresses did look vaguely flapperesque, but Marc felt something else when he looked at them. The outfits made the women look almost like marionettes. With that in mind he had instructed the girls to hang limp, like puppets on a string, which would be edited in later, with the men behind them like the puppet masters. This new angle showed off the clothes perfectly and the edgy, sombre faces of the models would be right at home on the cover of a fashion editorial.

Cliff stood up to change angles and caught sight of Marc smiling. Marc could see him smiling back through the corner of his eye. 'So what do you think?' Marc asked him.

Cliff smiled. 'It's great, you're very talented...but then, I always did say that.'

The couple continued to smile at each other.

xXx

Wilhelmina stood at the bar in the grand ballroom at the Waldorf Astoria, sipping from a champagne flute. She was trying, for all the world, to appear nonchalant, but she was fully aware she was scanning the room for any trace of Daniel and she berated herself for it. She eyed Robbie, standing across the room, speaking with Anna Wintour, the two of them casting hateful glances at her. She knew they were discussing the upcoming magazine shoot and they were both equally irate about the fact she was in the number one spot, she tried to hide her smile, let them have their high school bitch fest. She was too busy taking in the sight of two of her adversaries that she didn't keep her eyes on the door, she quickly swept her glace to the entrance to see if he had arrived when she heard a voice behind her.

'He's not coming you know.'

She turned around to find Claire Meade, staring at her with a mixture of amusement and annoyance.

'Excuse me?'

'You know Wilhelmina, you're not very subtle, you've been watching for him for the past fifteen minutes.'

'Oh please, I've merely been observing the room.' She felt heat rise to her cheeks as she was caught out.

'Blushing Wilhelmina? I didn't think the ice in your veins would allow the little blood that's left to move so freely.'

'Well at least the redness in my cheeks isn't synonymous with an alcoholics burst blood vessels.' She smiled. 'Drink?' She offered the champagne to Claire and smiled triumphantly when she saw Claire's eyes flicker towards it, Wilhelmina lifted the glass to her lips and finished the liquid. 'Too slow, pity.'

'No matter, I'm sure the alcohol is much more at home inside your system, lots of other toxins to play with.'

Claire walked away from her and Wilhelmina felt the disappointment, that Daniel would not be attending, wash over her. She shot Robbie another look; she could kill her for showing up at her apartment. Since the first time he had kissed her in Marc's apartment, she had been mentally reprimanding herself for doing something so monumentally stupid. As time wore on, however, she had reasoned with herself that they had both been through so much shit since they had first met. She with Nico and Connor, he with his tempestuous family relationships and Molly and the pair of them bringing themselves to the brink of financial ruin for the company, they were no longer the same people they had been.

She was lost in her thoughts when she saw Arnaud Lagardère approaching her; he raised both hands as he neared her and placed a kiss on each cheek.

'Wilhelmina, you look sensational.' He greeted her, smiling widely in appreciation.

'Thank you Arnaud.' She smiled in return.

'Please, allow me to get you another drink.' He placed a hand on her back and led her back to the bar.

Across the room, Robbie watched the pair of them interact.

'So Wilhelmina, I must say I am sorry for the hardship you have been facing at Elle.'

'Oh really? I was to understand it was you who had banned me from Ad meetings.'

He smiled. 'You know, I like you Wilhelmina, most people would be afraid to speak to me like that.'

'Trust me darling, I'm being cordial.'

He threw his head back and laughed. 'I admit, I was somewhat unimpressed by the way you behaved with Ralph Lauren, but this was before I knew of your previous conflict with Robbie. I feel she may be threatened by you Wilhelmina. After all, you are a very formidable woman.'

She smiled at this and allowed him to take her hand and kiss it. Inwardly she was celebrating, getting Arnaud Lagardère onside was an unexpected but wonderful coup. After years of hard work and loyalty from Robbie, she had been sure he would back her to the hilt.

Robbie was still watching the pair and when she saw Arnaud kiss Wilhelmina's hand she squeezed her champagne flute so hard that it shattered.

_The tie, two glasses, being rushed out of her apartment. That bitch, she's pulling another Bradford Meade with __Arnaud, and if that's the case that makes me as expendable as Daniel Meade was at Mode. _

Robbie battled with herself internally. Should she try and fight Wilhelmina? What if she had dragged Arnaud so deep into her trap that he would dismiss Robbie if she tried? Should she make nice? If Wilhelmina was involved with the head of the company then it wouldn't do to have her as an enemy. She would have to play this game very carefully.

xXx

Daniel was in the car on his way to the photoshoot, he had texted Wilhelmina that morning to see when she would be arriving but had, as yet, no reply. When his mother had told him she had seen her on Wednesday he kicked himself for not attending the benefit. It hadn't even entered his head that she would be attending. His mother made a great point of telling him how she seemed to be hanging off Arnaud Lagardère all night. He refused to let it affect him, he knew his mother would say anything to keep him from Wilhelmina.

The car came to a halt and Daniel exited when the door was opened for him. He strode through the marble foyer of the building and was led to the large studio where the photoshoot would take place. There were already some very notable names in the room. Anna Wintour had already arrived and was deep in conversation with Robbie Myers and Penelope Greybridge from Isabella magazine, he didn't have to think very hard to work out who they were discussing.

Waiting for instruction, he walked over to the Kraft table, which, unsurprisingly, had not been touched. Picking up a pastry, he stuffed it in his mouth as he surveyed the call sheet for the shoot.

Wilhelmina Slater – Elle

Anna Wintour – Vogue

Franca Sozzani – Vogue (Italy)

Robbie Myers – Elle

Alexandra Schulman – Vogue (UK)

Valerie Toranian – Elle (France)

Lorraine Candy – Elle (UK)

Daniel Meade – Mode

Penelope Greybridge – Isabella

He stopped a passing intern. 'Hey Buddy, why's there no number 10?'

The harassed looking man stopped. 'We didn't have confirmation that she would be attending, we we're going to edit her in later. We've just received word that she is coming, however.' The man began to bustle away, Daniel called to him.

'Wait, do you know if Wilhelmina Slater has arrived yet?'

The man smiled. 'Trying to avoid her? Can't say I blame you. Yeah she's here, she's been taken to one of the private rooms for her interview. Oh, here she comes now.'

Daniel craned his neck to see her coming in the room, followed by a rather impressive entourage of reporters and photographers. He smiled, he could tell by the sway of her hips and the deliberate stride, that she was loving every minute of this. She spotted him looking at her and he saw her eyes widen just a fraction. No one else would have noticed the slight change in her demeanour, then again, no one else was studying her intensely.

The Creative Director for the shoot called them all to attention. 'Hello, ladies and Gentlemen...well man anyway. You are here because the Times has named you one of the ten most influential people in the fashion world. Number 1?' He called, trying to get Wilhelmina's attention.

'I very much hope for your sake you did not just call me by a number.' She said, with a dangerous tone.

The man swallowed. 'Apologies, Ms Slater, Prada has requested to dress you for the shoot. Along with numbers eight and ten. Numbers two and four will be attired in Chanel, three and seven are to be dressed by De la Renta and five, six and nine will be wearing Valentino. Each designer has set up a dressing room in the adjoining suite of rooms.'

Daniel hesitated, he saw Wilhelmina look at him as she made her way to the dressing rooms. Of course, he thought, why am I surprised they try and throw us together at every turn. Entering the room he saw a stylist talking to Wilhelmina, who was desperately trying to avoid his eye.

'Okay Ms Slater, we have left your dress inside the first changing area, Mr Meade, we have a tuxedo for you in the second. I'll be back in fifteen minutes to do final fitting before finishing hair and makeup touch ups.' The man left the room hurriedly.

Wilhelmina looked at Daniel but neither said anything by way of greeting. She turned her back to him and went into the first changing area, which had all been segregated by gold curtains. Sighing he stepped into his own changing area and began removing his suit. He had put on the trousers of the tuxedo and the shirt was now hanging loosely on him, unbuttoned as he tried to fasten the cuffs.

'Damn it!' He heard Wilhelmina through the curtain.

'You okay?' He asked softly.

'I'm fine! Oh for God sake!'

'What is it?'

'This god damn dress, I can't get it to lace up the back. I knew I should have brought Marc.'

'Here, let me.' He began pulling the curtain back.

'No!'

'Oh relax, will you?' He snorted and pulled the curtain back, she was wearing a strapless, tight, black and silver dress, which ended at her knee and had a sculpted bustier on it. He tried not to look at the exposed skin but it was hard when he had to touch it in order to fasten the garment. He turned around and began tightening the fabric at the back, trying not to look in the mirror in front of them and see what the dress did to her breasts every time he pulled on the bustier.

Wilhelmina felt as if every synapse in her body was suddenly ten times more sensitive as she felt his fingers working at her back, her skin began to crave more and her breathing deepened. Daniel was taking far more time than necessary, letting his fingers trail over the smooth skin on her back. He was looking at her through the mirror and she was looking back, he could tell the effect he was having and it matched the effect she was having on him. His fingers moved up to run over her shoulders and down her bare arms.

'Daniel, not here.' She whispered.

'I'm not doing anything, this is totally harmless. It's not like we'd be stupid enough to roll around on the floor when anyone could come walking right in.' He still never broke contact with her via the mirror.

'Yeah.'

'Yeah.' He spun her round suddenly and crashed his lips onto hers, her hands immediately coming to the nape of his neck as she moaned into his mouth. Their urgency surprised them both, she pulled his bottom lip into her mouth. He lifted her against him and her legs wrapped themselves around him, she could feel him pressing into her as she ground her body against him, making him groan. Holding her, he backed out of the confined space and positioned her against the table in the room. His mouth went to her neck as she stroked him through the fabric of his trousers, causing him to halt his ministrations. She pulled his head back towards her and he kissed her deeply, tongues fighting in each others mouths. Again he lowered his head and nipped his teeth at the swell of her breasts, she arched against him.

'Why didn't you come to the Astoria on Wednesday.' She asked, breathlessly.

'Because I'm a stupid, stupid man.' He answered, punctuating each word with a kiss to her neck. Kissing her full on the lips again, his hands went to the back of her dress to undo the work he had just accomplished in fastening it. Her hands were trying free him from his trousers. Daniel began to slowly inch the fabric of the dress up her thighs, her body pressing itself to him in a desperate need to get closer.

Just as he slipped his hand closer to where she craved his touch most, the door opened. Unable to hide exactly what they were doing, they were both appalled yet slightly relieved that the person who walked in was someone who already knew of their situation, even if they did not approve.

'Mom?' Daniel looked at his mother who staring aghast at the scene she had just walked into. Wilhelmina pushed Daniel from her and jumped down from her position on the table. She began fastening her dress again, unable to hide the flushing of skin and erratic breathing. Daniel, fastened his shirt and tucked it onto his pants, all the time avoiding his mothers glare. Nothing made an erection die faster than your mother walking in.

'Are you two stupid. You do realise I could have been anybody? Including Robbie Myers, how would that have looked?' She whispered harshly before stepping in the room and the door partially.

Daniel and Wilhelmina looked at each other, both wondering why she wasn't having some sort of seizure at the compromising position she had caught them in. Claire rolled her eyes.

'Look, while I admit, what I just saw makes me want to stab a fork in my eye and vomit my insides out. We agreed we have bigger things to contend with now, don't worry though, as soon as this little plan with Elle is over I'll be back to eye stabbing and vomiting.'

Wilhelmina crossed her arms. 'As fun as this is Claire, why are you here?'

'For the photoshoot of course.' She smiled smugly.

'For the...oh don't tell me your number ten!' Wilhelmina exclaimed.

'No.' Came a voice from behind Claire. 'I am.'

The door opened and both Wilhelmina and Daniel stared in shock at the glamazon walking through it.

'Alexis?'

xXx

Betty ran to Amanda's desk and was panting by the time she got there, she was waving her hand in Amanda's face and taking great gulps of air, trying to catch her breath.

'What is it girl, is Timmy stuck down the well?'

'Call from...the Times...photoshoot...Daniel...'

'Yes Betty, Daniels down there for a photo shoot, God he's only been going on about it for ever. And people say I'm dense.'

Betty reached across the desk and grabbed Amanda's hand. 'My friend Phillip from the Times just called me to say the last member from the list has turned up.'

'And?'

'It's Alexis! Amanda, this could ruin everything.'

Amanda's eyes widened and she grabbed the phone. 'Hey Marcia, get your butt down to Wilhelmina's photo shoot, we've got a tranny to gag.'

Amanda grabbed Betty's hand and dragged her towards the elevator. 'Amanda, what about the phones.'

'Don't panic, my assistant Betty will get them.'

'Amanda, that's me, and I'm not your assistant.'

'Aren't you?' She asked condescendingly.

'No!'

'Yeah, but aren't you?'

'No Amanda!' the bickering continued all way down in the elevator.

xXx

'So my father, my brother and we did have that somewhat hazy night in Cabo when I was Alex. What next, should my mother be on her guard Willie?' Alexis smiled at her.

Wilhelmina ignored her and walked back into the changing area to adjust her dress.

'Alexis, don't start this.' Daniel pleaded.

Alexis folded her arms. 'Fine, Mom told me what you guys are up to, just remember I've worked with Wilhelmina before, supposedly together, I how she works.'

Inside the dressing room, Wilhelmina strained to hear the hushed family conversation.

'No you don't Alexis, you've been gone a hell of a long time. You don't know what we went through back here. What she went through.' Daniel reprimanded her.

'Daniel, I just don't want to see you get hurt again.'

'No offense _sis_ but you can't swan back into my life after more than two years and try and run it for me. Now, I want to catch up while you're in town, I don't want to fight, but I won't have you jeopardising the work Wilhelmina and I have already put in.'

Alexis exhaled loudly. 'Ok fine, but I'd say the one who had her legs wrapped around him five minutes ago may be more likely to jeopardise it.' She smiled.

He smiled back at her, 'Yeah well...it's been...weird.'

The stylist chose that moment to re enter the room, he nodded to Daniel and Alexis before going behind the curtain to help Wilhelmina. Minutes later, she stepped out, the dress securely fastened and hugging her body tightly. 'Ms Slater, if you could come with me and we'll finish your makeup.'

Wilhelmina left the room, not looking at any of the Meade's as she passed. Claire smiled and looked at her children. 'I'll leave you two alone.'

When Claire left the room, Alexis went into her changing room to get dressed. She called out to her brother as the both dressed in their outfits for the shoot.

'So, why didn't you tell me about this big plan?'

'You were in France.'

'Yes, running our French Mode, a Meade publication. You didn't think I'd want to help?'

'I hadn't thought about it to be honest. I only hear from you through Mom, we have spoken twice since you left with DJ...how is he by the way, is he with you?'

'No he's at home with his grandparents. He's doing great, he'll be sixteen next week.'

Daniel was silent as he thought of his nephew, who he rarely allowed himself to think of. Alexis stepped out, wearing a dress of deep red which ended above her knee. She walked over to her brother and placed a hand on his shoulder. 'He misses you, so do I.' Daniel smiled at his sister.

'So Danny, are you going to let me take you and Mom out for a family meal tonight?'

He looked down; 'Uh, not tonight, I have something I really need to do.'

Alexis arched her brows. 'Something or someone?'

xXx

Marc, Betty and Amanda ran through the marble foyer, heels clacking madly on the surface as they tried to find the venue for the shoot. Amanda tripped Marc and he fell as she and Betty continued running.

'Ow what the hell?!' Marc shouted

'Can't go in together, rivals remember!' She shouted over her shoulder.

'And you couldn't just have SAID that!' He yelled back, massaging his sore ankle as Amanda and Betty moved out of sight.

The two girls crashed into the room just as the shoot was coming to an end. The fashionista's still posed on the floor all stared at them as Marc came crashing in behind them. Wilhelmina and Daniel glared at them. Marc pushed Amanda and Betty out of the way. 'Outta my way pesky Modies.'

As the photographer declared the shoot a wrap, Wilhelmina descended on Marc in a fury. 'Have you gone completely cuckoo Mary?' She grabbed him and began steering him towards the dressing room.

'I'm sorry Willie, Mandy called to say Alexis was coming to the shoot. I was afraid she was going to blow everything out of the water.'

'And you really think if I hadn't been able to scare her into silence, you would?'

'Uhm...'

'Well anyway, it doesn't matter. She's on board, family loyalty and all that disgusting mushy stuff.'

Daniel was similarly berating Betty and Amanda for raising suspicions. Alexis stood back grinning.

'Don't mind him, he's still a little frustrated that I walked in just as he was about to get his rocks off.'

Daniel shot her a look as Amanda's eyes doubled in size. 'Oooh McNasty, do tell.'

He rolled his eyes at her. Betty grabbed Daniel's arm; 'Daniel, here?! What were you thinking?!'

'I wasn't.' He shrugged.

'What's gotten into you?'

'You really need to ask?' He raised his eyebrows and ran his hand through his hair. 'It's just...argh...we've put so much pressure on this. Between fighting whatever this is, trying to work together, you three throwing innuendos in our face every five minutes...it's getting harder...'

'I bet it is.'

'AMANDA!' Daniel and Betty shouted.

Daniel ran his hands down his face and exhaled. He tilted his head slightly as a thought came to him and he smiled. 'You know what, I have an idea, and I'm gonna need your help, you too Amanda, and Marc. Wait here I'll be right back.' He walked away.

Alexis furrowed her brow and looked puzzled at the two women before her. 'You do realise, he is asking you to help him get laid?'

The two nodded.

'And you do realise it's Wilhelmina right?'

'Totally.' Amanda drawled.

'Okay.' Alexis said, a little too highly. 'Just checking...what the hell happened these past two years?'

xXx

Daniel arrived at the door of their dressing room just as Wilhelmina was leaving, she was engrossed in conversation with Marc and slammed right into Daniel, causing them both to fluster and Marc to grin.

'Marc, go talk to Betty and Amanda please.' Daniel requested.

'Uh, hello, can't be seen together. Mode Vs Elle, remember.'

'Oh please, they only care about me and Daniel, go talk to your little friend.' Wilhelmina snapped, Marc scurried away.

Daniel turned to her and spoke in a low voice. 'You need to go out tonight and not come home until nine.'

'Excuse me?'

'Look just do it okay.'

She continued to stare at him, confused, but nodded her head in acquiescence. Daniel smiled briefly and after a quick scan of the corridor to make sure they were alone he kissed her briefly but forcefully.

'Don't be late.'


	13. Chapter 13

"Mandy, pass the oysters."

Amanda handed Marc the plate and shut her eyes ready for his outburst.

"Mandy!" he yelled. "In the plate there's half what there should be! Did you eat them?"

"Uhm…" she mumbled, looking at Betty. "No, she did."

"I didn't, Amanda!" Betty complained. "I don't even like oysters. You still have the shells in your pockets, I saw you!"

Marc straightened the tall chef hat on his head and regained his composure, clearing his throat. "Fine," he said, taking a deep breath. "You're lucky there's still enough for two people."

"Don't stress yourself out, Marc," Amanda said. "This is supposed to be relaxing."

"When Daniel asked me if I knew how to cook, I wish it wouldn't be for him to get laid," he said, his voice gradually reaching a higher pitch.

"Come on, I think he's been very sweet," Amanda said. "He never asked someone to cook for me."

She reached out to take an oyster, but Marc slapped her hand away. "Stop compensating your emotional void eating these."

She pouted. "Just one."

"Eat one more, and I'll personally thrust each oyster down your nose," he hissed, slamming his hands on the counter.

Betty and Amanda took a step back, then they shared a look. "I think he's about to have a breakdown," Betty whispered.

"I'm not!" he snapped.

"What's with the screaming, Marc?"

Betty, Amanda and Marc turned to see Daniel entering the room. Marc threw his hands in the air and shook his head, going back to arrange the oysters on the elegant long plate. Daniel looked at the man in amusement, pinching the bridge of his nose.

"Thank you for what you're doing, Marc," he said, slapping him on the back.

The young man slowly turned to him, his eyes narrowed into slits. "You better make it worth it," he said, getting back to the oysters.

Daniel retrieved his hand and looked questioningly at the two girls. Betty shrugged, and Amanda lifted an eyebrow. "It's the oysters," she said. "He ate half of them."

Marc quickly sank his hand in the flour bag and flung it at his blonde friend, who found herself covered in white. She coughed a couple of times, cleaning her eyes, then put her hands on her hips. "Ok, I deserved that."

"You know, someone is going to have to clean up after this mess," Daniel said, pointing between Marc and Amanda.

"Betty," the two said in unison.

"Yeah, right," Betty exclaimed. "Forget it."

"I'll leave you to sort this out," Daniel said, walking away. "Just know Wilhelmina wouldn't be happy to see her kitchen has been vandalized."

He left the kitchen and stood on the threshold to the dining room, appreciating the work of the afternoon. The long curved couch had been moved to make room in the middle of the room, where they'd set up a wonderful circular table with a long deep red tablecloth. The room had been adorned with red roses and white lilies everywhere, and candles instead of the usual lights.

"She should be pretty impressed."

Betty had appeared at his side, taking in the beauty of the room. Daniel studied her profile, noticing the unsaid words still hanging from her tongue.

"But..?" he asked.

"No buts. Just…Don't be hurt if she isn't."

"Betty, I didn't do this to impress her," he explained. "I just thought we both deserved this."

"As in…?"

"Peace. Rest. Relaxation. You name it," he said, shrugging. "I wanted to do this for her."

Betty sighed deeply. "Daniel, when did this happen?" she asked, voicing her true concerns for the first time. "When did you change the way you looked at her?"

"The truth is I don't know. It's been so gradual, and slow…I really couldn't say when it happened," he explained, his eyes fixed on the flame of the nearest candle. "It just did. To be honest, I wonder whether this happened long before she left. Maybe I was realizing things before I could even admit it."

"Daniel…" she began, but gave up before saying anything.

"What?" he insisted.

"I'm worried," she said. "I'm really worried. You know I have your best interests at heart, and I would never want to be the one to tell you this, but…What you're doing, the two of you, it's going to backfire on you."

Daniel looked at her, and then he went back to staring at the candle. Betty put a hand on his shoulder and squeezed it, leaving him alone with his thoughts. He didn't move.

***

Wilhelmina's office was silent. She drummed on her desk, nervously. Looking up to the screen of her computer she saw it was still 8 o'clock. The lamp on her desk diffused a soft light in the room, but outside the darkness was complete. She got up and looked outside the window.

"Wilhelmina."

She turned around, expectantly, but was disappointed when she saw Robbie coming in. "Hey," she said, going back behind the desk. "What is it?"

"Nothing," the woman said, shrugging. "I was just wondering why you were still here."

"I have stuff to finish, here," Wilhelmina explained, pursing her lips together. "I'm probably going to be here for another hour or so."

"Ok," Robbie said, biting her bottom lip.

Wilhelmina could tell the woman wanted to say something, but she couldn't quite bring herself to do that. Robbie turned around, walking outside the room. Just on the threshold she turned around again and leaned against the doorframe.

"Willie," she began. "Why can't we try to get along?"

Wilhelmina was surprised by those words, but most of all she was surprised by the sincerity in her voice. She narrowed her eyes, shutting down her laptop. "What do you mean?"

"I mean, you and Fey were friends."

Wilhelmina snorted. "Please, Fey was nobody's friend."

"Maybe, but she respected you. And you respected her. You weren't constantly fighting. I respect you Wilhelmina. And I'm sure, on some level, you respect me too. Then why can't we get along?"

"I respect you, Robbie," Wilhelmina said. "What you have for me, on the other hand, is not respect. It's fear."

Robbie tilted her head to the side for a second before leaving the room. Wilhelmina put her head in her hands, running them through her hair. Then, she heard a knock. She lifted her head and saw a young boy standing on the threshold, holding a large white box with a blue ribbon on it. Wilhelmina narrowed her eyes, and the boy cleared his throat.

"Miss Slater?"

"What is that?" she barked, nodding towards the box.

"It's…I have a delivery for you, Miss," the boy said, reading something on a piece of paper on the box. "It's from-"

"Valentino, I see that," she interrupted him. She had immediately recognized the name on the upper side of the box. "Who's that from?"

"There's a note," he said, putting the box down on the desk.

The delivery boy reached into his shoulder bag and extracted a clipboard and handed it to her with a pen, showing her where to sign. She did, and the boy left the room; she was left staring at the box.

She opened the box and looked inside; hesitantly, she lifted the tissue paper and touched something soft. She reached inside and lifted a beautiful couture cocktail dress. It was a satin, deep red, draped, one-shouldered dress.

Her mouth fell open, forming a little 'o'. She laid the dress down on the desk and, inside the box, found a pair of stilettos the same shade of red of the dress, with a vivid red jewel encrusted on the front.

"God," she whispered, touching one of the stilettos' heels. She hastily put it back down and looked for the note. When she found it, she immediately went to look for the name of the sender, but the envelope was empty. She opened it and read its contents.

_Put it on and come home._

"Daniel," she whispered, recognizing the handwriting. She circled the desk and went to close the door. Looking round she immediately reached behind her back, unzipping the dress she had on and taking it off. She grabbed the new dress and slid it on, amazed at how Daniel had been able to pick just the right size.

She twisted to pull the zipper up at the side, but she was finding it difficult to reach it.

"Need help?"

She spun around, staggering; she hadn't heard the door open. The man on the door smiled at her, with his hand still on the doorknob. She kept the dress, still unzipped, to cover her body.

"Arnaud," she whispered, putting on a pleased smile. "I didn't hear you knocking."

"I didn't," he said, stepping in. He motioned for her to turn to the side, pointing at the zipper of the dress. "May I?"

She stood still, then snapped out of her surprise, nodding. She moved her arm and he pulled the zipper up.

"Wilhelmina, one last-"

Robbie Myers stood on the threshold, petrified, staring at the scene in front of her. Wilhelmina looked at her, then at Arnaud who still had his hands on her zipper. "Robbie!" she exclaimed, immediately taking a step back from the man.

"I just stopped by to give you the indications for the meeting of tomorrow," Robbie said, unable to take her eyes off Arnaud, who had a sheepish smile on his face. "But I guess you've been informed already."

"Not yet," Arnaud said. "That's exactly what I came down here for."

"All the way from Brooklyn," Robbie chimed in, pursing her lips.

"Well, I was heading home, which is just a few blocks away, and I thought I should stop by and visit my two favorite editors in Chief," he said, flashing her a smile and patting lightly on her shoulder. "Well, now I really have to go."

The man left the room, leaving the two women to square each other. Robbie eyed the dress Wilhelmina had on and the box on her desk. "Nice," she said. "Is that a present?"

"Uh," Wilhelmina stuttered, looking down at the dress. "Yeas, it's from James, at House of Valentino. He said he thought of me as soon as he saw this dress and…well, you know me, I can't say no to a couture gown."

Robbie nodded slowly, and with a last look at the outfit she left the room, closing the door behind her. Wilhelmina let out a breath and turned round, moving to grab the shoes. As she strapped them on, she wondered what Lagardère had been doing at Elle that late.

She threw the dress she'd been wearing earlier in the box and hid it behind her desk. Grabbing her white coat, she left her office, turning off the lamp.

***

"Ok, everyone," Daniel exclaimed, entering the kitchen where Marc and Amanda were chatting over the many dishes on the counter. "Time to go," he said, pointing at his watch.

"Are you sure we can't stay?" Amanda asked, batting her eyelashes.

He gently put his hands on the girl's shoulder and leaned in. "Yes," he said, firm, with a grin.

"You're not funny when you gloat only because you'll have sex."

"Amanda, you're a broken record," came Betty's voice from the door. The girl came in, and she was holding their coats. She threw them at Marc and Amanda, who reluctantly put them on, heading for the entrance.

Betty turned to Daniel. "Good luck," she said.

"Betty, I'm not going to need luck," he said, smiling.

She sighed and turned to Marc and Amanda, pushing them towards the door. Marc opened the door and the three of them stopped dead in their tracks, at the sight of Wilhelmina. She looked at the three of them, confused, then shifted her gaze upon Daniel, just behind them.

Marc took in his boss' appearance, and turned to Amanda smirking. The girl smirked in return and they walked out, passing by Wilhelmina on their way. Wilhelmina stepped inside, closing the door in their faces.

"What where they doing here?" she asked, pointing at the closed door behind her.

"They were helping me…" he trailed off, moving aside to let her see the room, "…with this."

Her eyes quickly scanned the room: the flowers, the red drapes, the candles. She smirked, turning to Daniel.

"So?" he asked, nervously.

"It…It looks like the set of a porn movie."

He looked round, concerned. She stepped closer and laid a hand on his forearm, making him turn to face her. He looked down and she smiled imperceptibly.

"That was a joke."

He leaned in: just before his lips could touch hers the doorbell rang, and Daniel sighed. Wilhelmina looked through the peephole. She opened the door and raised an eyebrow. "What?"

Marc, Amanda and Betty, still on the threshold, had their hands on their eyes. "If anyone's naked, cover up Marc forgot his keys," Betty said.

Amanda peeked through her fingers, and when she saw they were both still dressed she grinned. "It's ok, they were still in the foreplay part," she said, stepping inside the apartment and heading straight for the kitchen.

Marc and Betty uncovered their eyes and looked round, uncomfortably, waiting Amanda's return. Wilhelmina took off her coat and threw it on the hanger; Daniel followed her with his gaze, admiring the way the dress fell down her curves perfectly. When he turned to Marc and Betty, he saw the two of them were checking her out too.

"Oy," he said, waving a hand in front of their faces. "I know you're a woman and you're gay, but it's still not nice to stare."

"Especially when it's private property, you mean?" Marc added, smiling widely.

Wilhelmina shot him a look and Marc closed his mouth immediately. Amanda came back, swirling the keys on her finger. "Here you go, wacky thickie," she exclaimed, throwing them at him. Marc caught them and dangled them in front of Daniel, smiling innocently.

"Well, now we can go," Betty said, grabbing Marc's elbow. Amanda followed them peeking at Wilhelmina over her shoulder.

"Bye," he said, closing the door before they could say anything else. He returned to her side, and she tilted her head.

"I hope you were discreet while doing this. And by discreet, I mean I hope you didn't use the entrance door, or make calls from my number and…you know the drill."

"I didn't," he said, placing his hands on her shoulders and turning her around, leading her to the table. "I used the fire escape to come in, Marc and the girls came in at different times, and Marc let me in after being sure the landing was empty. Stop worrying, everything's fine."

She looked down at the table and bit her bottom lip, trying not to smile. He shifted the chair and she sat down. "This is freaking me out," she said, watching him as he sat down opposite her.

"I know, it's weird, isn't it?" he said, unable to conceal the nervous tone of his voice.

"Daniel, look. I appreciate this. I do. But…We don't do this," she said, furrowing her brows. "I mean, we don't do _flowers, _and _candles_, and _romantic dinners_. It's not me, and you know it. Why are you getting ahead of yourself?"

Daniel looked down, sighing. "I…I know this. Consider this my way of thanking you for what you've been doing."

Wilhelmina looked down at the plates and pursed her lips. "Anyway...you may send me clothes more often, if you wish," she said, smirking.

He chuckled. "It looks amazing on you."

"Who did you bribe to know my real measurements?" she asked.

"I just had to trust my memory," he said, his voice dropping an octave lower.

She studied his features, in the soft light of the candles, and she could see the vulnerability. She couldn't deny it scared her, but it also amazed her.

In the silence of the moment, the doorbell rang again. "It's us!" came Betty's muffled voice.

"God, this is ridiculous," Wilhelmina exclaimed, rolling her eyes. "Open up and see what they want, I need a drink," she said, standing up and reaching the drinks cabinet.

He strode to the door and opened up roughly. "What is it now?" he asked, blocking their way.

"Uhm…I forgot my phone," Betty said, apologetically.

He moved to the side and she ran inside, reaching the kitchen. Wilhelmina, in the corner of the room, was leaning against the bar, watching the scene while sipping red wine from her crystal goblet. He tapped his foot on the floor, impatiently; hearing her stifle a laugh, he turned to her and lifted en eyebrow.

"You're having fun, aren't you?" he asked, sarcastically.

"You have no idea," she said, grinning.

Amanda leaved over to try and catch a glimpse of Wilhelmina, who was out of her sight, but Daniel shot her a look and she stood back on her feet, looking ahead with her eyes wide. Betty came hustling back, holding her hand up, showing the phone.

"Sorry, found it," she said.

Daniel ushered her outside. "Are you sure you have everything, now?" he asked, narrowing his eyes. "Keys, phones, whatever?"

The three looked at each other, mentally wondering if they'd forgotten anything else.

"Did you hit third base already?" Amanda whispered, winking.

"Goodbye," he said, closing the door once again. Turning to Wilhelmina, who was still in the same spot, he sighed. "If they come back one more time, I won't be held responsible for my actions."

She offered him a glass of wine and he took it, taking a large gulp. She eyed him, and then she put her glass down, leaning on her side against the bar. She folded her arms, and looked at him expectantly.

"Why are you staring at me?" he asked.

"Why are you wasting time?" she asked, blinking.

"I don't know what you're talking about," he answered truthfully, putting down his glass too.

"Liar," she stated, stepping closer. "Why did you plan all of this?"

He moistened his lips, swallowing. Why was his mouth so dry all of a sudden?

"Certainly not the reason you're thinking," he said, not taking his eyes off her.

"Liar," she repeated.

His eyes travelled down her body, drinking in the way it complimented her body. He ran a hand down the shoulder the dress left uncovered, along her arm, up and down. "You're breathtakingly beautiful."

"Stop it," she said, putting a hand behind his nape and urged him down to her.

He brushed his lips against hers, taking his time. Circling her waist, he drew her closer until their bodies were melting together. Deepening the kiss, he backed her against the wall, sliding his hands down her sides.

She put a hand on his chest and pulled away, catching her breath. "Wait."

"What?"

"Five. Four. Three. Two-"

"What are you-"

"One…"

His phone rang.

"You've got to be kidding me!" he exclaimed, looking at the ceiling.

"Take that, I'll be in my room when you're done," she said, pushing him off her. On her way she grabbed the glass and downed the wine that was left.

He snorted, watching her leaving the room. At the persistent ringing of the phone he marched up to his coat and rummaged into the pockets. When he found it he snapped it opened.

"Daniel Meade," he almost yelled into the phone.

"Woohoo, bro, what's wrong?" came Alexis' voice from the other end.

"Everything about this call is wrong," he exclaimed, looking longingly at the door where Wilhelmina had disappeared. "What do you need?"

"Nothing, just called to let you know we're having lunch tomorrow. You, me and mum," she specified. "Since you weren't available tonight…Oh," she added as realization hit her. "Daniel, am I interrupting something?"

"Alexis, I just want you to know one thing," he said, emphasizing each word. "I hate you."

Alexis giggled on the other end. "Sorry," she said. "I think I'm still in denial about my brother sleeping with the bad witch's older sister."

"You mean hotter?" he asked, smirking.

"Ew. No. No, I definitely meant older."

"Anything else you want to tell me?" he asked, wanting nothing but to go and find Wilhelmina.

"Not really," she said. "Mum drank scotch today. Should I be worried?"

"Alexis, she walked in on me and Wilhelmina groping each other twice in less than a month. I'm shocked she's not in a coma already," Daniel said, reassuring his sister. "Now I really have to go."

"Have fun," Alexis squealed.

He threw the phone on the couch and took off his jacket. He covered the corridor with great steps and stopped on the threshold of her bedroom. He couldn't help but smile.

She was on the bed, laid on her side, with her arm under the pillow. She had still her dress on, but she was undeniably asleep, with such a peaceful expression painted on her face that he couldn't bring himself to wake her up.

He stepped inside the room and approached the bed, sitting next to her. He moved a strand of hair from her face and smiled. "I wonder if Hitler looked as beautiful when he was asleep," he muttered under his breath, chuckling.

He stood up and opened her closet, reaching on the bottom and grabbing a white blanket. He went back to her and covered her. With a last glance, he turned to leave the room, but something stopped him.

"Wait," he heard her say in a sleepy voice.

He looked at her and saw she still had her eyes closed. He came closer and sat next to her again. She opened one eye, peeking up at him.

"You can stay," she said, closing it again. "But I'm exhausted."

He smiled and crawled onto the bed, kicking off his shoes and laying down on the other side. She turned and looked at him for the briefest moment, and then she closed her eyes again.

"Sleep," she ordered.

He crossed his ankles and watched her, until her breathing became even and he knew she was fully asleep. He smiled to himself, thinking about how he would have laughed in their face if anyone would ever have told him he would be watching Wilhelmina Slater's sleeping form adoringly. Indeed, he was.

He looked to the side and opened the drawer of her nightstand, looking for something to keep entertained. He found a white leather photo album and, casting a sidelong glance at Wilhelmina to be sure she was asleep, he took it out.

He turned a few pages, and studied the pictures. Wilhelmina's modeling days, Nico, Wilhelmina and a man he didn't know, Wilhelmina and Fey…Connor. He stopped and looked at the picture in which Connor was holding her against his chest, and she was looking down, her lips curved in a shy smile. It was the most vulnerable he'd ever seen her.

He looked at her now, sleeping, and he felt sorry for her, for the things she'd had to give up during all those years, for the happiness she'd found and lost, for the moments that she'd seen slip away through her fingers, unable to hold them.

He turned another page and stared at the picture. The weirdest of them all, because it belonged to a past he didn't really know. He knew both the women in the picture, but he couldn't really understand why they were together. The youngest was clearly Wilhelmina. The picture was clearly taken at Mode, during some sort of party. She was holding a glass in her hand, and looked pleased. The woman by her side, holding a glass too, raised in a toast was a tall blonde, thin and gorgeous, with deep brown eyes.

"Mom," he whispered, passing a thumb over the picture.

He tried to study the subjects in the background, and noticed his father, talking to Alex. Fey Sommers, in a far corner, was talking on the phone. There was a bunch of other people behind them, all looking as if they were worshipping Wilhelmina and Claire. He made a guess and supposed it was the day of Wilhelmina's promotion as Creative Director.

He closed the album and put it back where he'd found it, switching the lamp off. He lay down, turning on his side so that he was facing her. He eyed her features for a moment, before smiling and closing his eyes, feeling good.

***

When the alarm clock went off, the morning after, her hands immediately reached out for the other side, only to find it empty. And cold. She opened her eyes slowly and saw that she was alone in the room. She moved the blanket, grimacing at the sight of the dress all wrinkled.

She reached down to take off her shoes and she threw them aside, getting up. Still battling to keep her eyes opened, she padded out of the bedroom, looking round. She couldn't hear any noise, and when she walked into the dining room she noticed the furniture was back in its place, the flowers and the candles gone.

She ran a hand through her hair, and headed towards the kitchen. The room was empty too, but there was a note on the counter. She took it and read it.

_I woke up early. It would be too dangerous to stroll out of your building when everyone could see me. I'm going to have lunch with Alexis and my mother. I'll call you when I'm done._

She put the note down and folded her arms. Somewhere, deep inside her, hidden under layers and layers of pride, she had wanted him to stay that night because she had wanted to wake up and find him there. She had _expected _him to be there. She had expected him to be there to have what he hadn't had the night before, but apparently she had underestimated him.

She hated herself for it, but she smiled looking at the note on the counter. She shook he head and headed into the bathroom. She slid the dress off her body, not without any difficulty. She got rid of her underwear and stepped into the shower, turning on the hot water. She tied her hair up in a ponytail and stepped under the jet of water, careful to avoid wetting her hair. She closed her eyes and let the water run down her spine, feeling the stress of the day before being washed away.

Out of the blue, the memory of the night before washed over her, unexpectedly. The way he'd looked at her, the way his hands had touched her sides, the feeling of his body against hers. She shook her head violently and turned the knob hastily, gasping as the now cold water ran down her body.

"Fuck you, Daniel Meade," she exclaimed.


	14. Chapter 14

As it was a Saturday morning, the Elle offices were quiet. Marc was sitting at his desk perusing the prints from the Dior shoot and feeling an overwhelming sense of pride when he heard something smash. Jumping up with a start he made his way out of his office to locate the source of the noise. In the expansive corridor now, he craned his neck and saw Wilhelmina pacing in her office. Smiling to himself and desperate for a recount of the previous night, he marched into her office. He stopped on the threshold when he saw her throw another crystal glass to the ground.

'Oh my, there used to be only one man who could put you in this bad a mood.' He smirked.

If she was surprised to see him there, she didn't show it. Turning round, hands on her hips and breathing a little too deeply.

'There still is.' She growled.

Marc clasped his hands in front of him and walked in to the inner sanctum of her office. 'Well I gotta say I thought all that would change once you....ahem, ahem.'

She pursed her lips, annoyed at his presumption, before letting out a sigh and looking down. 'Well maybe it would have.' She slumped down in her chair.

Marc wrinkled his brow and then widened his eyes as realisation hit home. He hurried to sit in the chair opposite her. 'Willie.....' he whined.

'Don't start!'

'But what happened? You were good to go!'

She mumbled something unintelligible under her breath.

'What?' Marc asked, leaning closer.

She sighed and rolled her eyes. 'I said, I...I fell asleep.' She crossed her arms over her chest and looked away from him as him mouth fell open.

'You fell ASLEEP! Willie, I made oysters, I hovered over a hot stove so you could get your freak on!'

'Oh don't oversell it Marc, you washed a few shellfish and plated up some meals Daniel ordered in.'

Marc pouted. 'So...nothing then?'

She shook her head and then laughed. 'I can't believe it's bothering me that I _didn't_ get to sleep with Daniel Meade.' She pinched the bridge of her nose and continued chuckling softly. 'What the hell happened to me Marc, who am I?'

Marc smiled sadly. 'Willie, you've changed. We all have, just embrace it.'

She looked up at him. 'What are you, a motivational speaker now?'

'I'm just saying.' He shrugged. 'Why did you come in this morning anyway?'

'Well, normally when I'm feeling this way I come into the office to get some work done. But, since I'm trying to ruin this magazine, there is nothing for me to do. Why are you here?'

'I got a messenger to rush over the Dior prints.'

'Bring them to me.' She ordered.

He swallowed and hurried back to his office, scooping up the prints and taking a deep breath. Returning to her office, he deposited them in front of her and stood back nervously as she appraised them. After what felt like an eternity, she leaned back in the chair, lips pursed.

'Well Marc, I must say...I'm disappointed.'

He felt himself deflate at her words, when he looked up at her she was smirking.

'I cannot find fault in any of these. And you know how I like to find fault.' Her smirk became a smile. 'Good job Marc, don't be surprised if this opens doors for you.'

Marc smiled widely, like a child who got an A report from their favourite teacher. He knew what her opinion meant in this world and he wasn't fool enough to think she would show him favour because of their personal relationship, if anything she would expect more. If she was pleased then he really was good at this.

Changing the subject, because he knew she would hate it if he revelled in his moment too long. 'So what's the next stage in our plan mien fuehrer?' He sat back down.

She sighed. 'I don't know Marc, these little dents we are making with messing with ads, shows and what have you, are good but they're not enough. We need something big, something that's going to create a big enough drop in this magazine that by the time its recovered, if it can, we are safely back at Mode and once again on top. And to be honest, for once, I'm at a loss.'

'Well you've had other things on your mind.'

She straightened up in her chair. 'Excuse me, are you insinuating something?'

'No I'm flat out saying you and Daniel better hurry it up because you are our leaders and your hormones are distracting you from the end goal.'

'Wilhelmina Slater does not let a little thing like sex get in the way of her career!'

'Oh so you didn't miss meeting with Jaeger LaCoultre because you were too busy doing the naked pretzel with Connor?'

She couldn't deny what he had said, so she settled for glaring at him. After a couple of seconds her face softened. 'Marc.' She spoke quietly. 'How is he doing this to me? When did he become something more than the bastard who stole my job? When did he get in my goddamn head?'

'Aww Willie.'

'Stop the pity party Moe and answer me.'

'I don't know Willie...he's really in your head huh?'

She cleared her throat and tried to busy herself at her desk. 'Every minute.' She said, still not looking at him as he smiled.

'Right come on lady!' He jumped up from the chair.

'What?'

'We're getting nothing done here, I need to come down from my Dior high, you need to stop thinking of the sordid little things you want to do with the Meadinator and we both need to think up a plan to crash this Elle shaped ship. I'm taking you to lunch.'

She tilted her head. '_You're_ taking _me_ to lunch?' She queried, amused.

'Yes I am, and I'm not taking no for an answer.' He extended his arm to her. 'You don't scare me anymore girly.'

She arched an eyebrow at him.

'Ok you do...but you're coming to lunch.'

She rolled her eyes, picked up her purse and jacket, took the arm that was proffered to her and left the office with her friend.

xXx

Marc sat opposite Wilhelmina, the pair of them perusing the menu at Le Bernardin. As the waiter came over to take their order, she lowered her menu. Just as she was telling the waiter that both she and Marc would be having the Langoustine she felt her heart plummet into her stilettos.

'You've got to be kidding me.' She whispered.

'Miss?' questioned the waiter.

'Eh, the Langoustine and a bottle of your best Chablis, thank you.' She answered the waiter hurriedly and waved him away.

'Willie, what's wrong?' asked Marc.

She started into the distance to the other side of the restaurant, he followed her gaze and his eyes landed on Claire and Alexis Meade. The pair were deep in conversation and had not noticed Wilhelmina and her former assistant.

Marc turned back round, his mouth forming an 'o'. Wilhelmina glared at him.

'How many restaurants are there in New York Marc? And you picked the one with the Meade family picnic!'

He shrugged. 'I didn't know, look they haven't even seen you. This place is busy; they might not notice we're here.'

She fiddled with her napkin. 'They might not...but he will.' She nodded to the entrance and Marc turned around to see Daniel enter the restaurant. He made his way to his table and greeted his mother and sister with a kiss to the cheek. As if he could feel eyes on him he turned slowly and saw them sitting across the room. His breath caught when his eyes met Wilhelmina's, and he couldn't be sure from this distance but he could swear he saw her swallow and breathe deeper. After a moment she looked away and engaged Marc in conversation.

Daniel sat down and tried to focus on what Alexis was telling him about DJ, seeing her across the room had thrown him. He hadn't expected to see her here and it brought back unbidden images of when he awoke that morning.

_She had moved in the night, her back pressed against his front and his body was pushed against hers. Lifting his head, he could see her chest rise and fall, under the satin of the gown she still wore, with every breath. Her body moved again in her sleep and he realised with sudden clarity that a certain part of him had awoken long before the rest of him did, and it was now throbbing painfully against her back as she wriggled against him again. He knew that if he woke her up right now, he could have what they had both wanted last night. He also knew however, that in his current state, he wouldn't last longer than a schoolboy. He had used all his mental strength to roll away from her and had to physically stop himself for moving back for her when she stretched in her sleep and let out a small moan. _

But leave he had, and now she was sitting opposite him in the vast restaurant, he couldn't concentrate on what was being said. By the look of her animated dialogue with Marc, however, she wasn't having the same problem.

'Marc, eat quick, I can't stay here.'

'Willie, remember you are being watched, how would it look if you go running out the restaurant when your 'supposed' arch rival arrives.'

She exhaled loudly, 'Well it would look a damn sight better than me marching over to his table and screwing him on it!'

Marc spat out the mouthful of Chablis he had just taken, at her words. 'God Willie, he really got you that bad?'

She put her head in her hands. 'You have no idea.'

Marc started licking the spilled wine from his fingers.

'Oh dear God, even that's turning me on!' She complained as Marc threw back his head and laughed. When he calmed down, he sat smiling at her.

'What?'

'Nothing...nothing, it's just...I've never seen you so worked up over a man, and the fact that it's Daniel is...' he shook his head in wonder.

'Wrong, bizarre, ridiculous?'

'Incredible.' He finished softly.

She folded her napkin on the table and refused to look at him. 'Excuse me; I'm going to the rest room.'

As she got up and weaved her way through the tables to the rest rooms at the back, Daniel's eyes followed her. He dabbed at his mouth with his napkin and cut his mother off mid-sentence. 'I'll be back in a minute Mom, little boy's room.' He got up and walked briskly to the back of the restaurant.

As Wilhelmina exited the rest room, she felt her arm being grabbed and she was pulled through a red velvet curtain into the empty area the restaurant kept for private dining. Before she could even process what had happened, she found herself pinned tightly to the wall, her mouth being viciously attacked by Daniels. His arms holding her hips as he pushed himself against her. She moaned.

'Daniel...' she tried to speak between kisses.

'Nuh-uh, shut up.' He said, lips moving against hers.

She arched her back from the wall and felt his firmness pushing back against her. Her movements caused his eyes to close tighter as he continued to kiss her deeply. She pushed him back; he rested his forehead against hers.

'Come to my place when you're done here.' She whispered.

He nodded his head against hers as he tried to even his breathing. Wilhelmina pushed herself from the wall and circled his neck with her arm, hand clasping at his hair, she brought his mouth back to hers and kissed him slowly, tasting him, inhaling his scent. Breaking the kiss, she bit her bottom lip, before turning from him and heading back to her table.

When she returned to the table, Marc, who had seen Daniel get up to follow her, was smirking at her, try and failing to copy her patented arched brow.

'Wilhelmina, are you okay? You look a little flushed?'

'Shut up Marc.' She said in a warning tone as she pulled her seat in.

Marc drained his glass, 'I was going to ask if you would like dessert, but I see you already had a little nibble of something _not_ on the menu.' He was trying not to smile for fear of being mutilated. 'Can I take it your little problem is solved?'

She snorted. 'Please Marc; I was away for five minutes.'

'Ah so that was just the pre show entertainment.' He couldn't help the smile from forming this time. 'So, my favourite evil genius, what would you like to do now? We could go to Gucci, Prada...have a real girls day out, keep your mind outta the gutter'

'No...I'm not feeling well Marc. I think I should go home.' She said, face still flustered.

'Yeah, you should probably go home....to bed.'

'Marc, that's enough. I told you I don't feel well.'

'Wow.'

'What?'

'When did you get bad at lying?'

She narrowed her eyes. 'Just get the check.'

Back at Daniel's table, his mother and sister eyed him wearily as he sat back down. 'What?' he asked them.

'You've hardly listened to a word we've said since you arrived.' His mother said stoically.

He fussed with the lapels on his jacket as he answered. 'Well you know...this thing with Elle. I've got a lot on my mind, I've been distracted.'

His mother nodded, 'And do you think I didn't see your _distraction_ walk out of the back area two minutes before you came meandering out?'

'Mom...'

'No Daniel, we are here as a family. To reconnect, not for you to go groping your whore when our backs are turned.'

'That's enough Mom!' He yelled at her.

She turned to him, eyes wide in shock at how he had spoken to her. 'I know you don't like this, but this has to stop.'

Claire said nothing, but reached across the table for Alexis' wine glass. Daniel grabbed it from her hand. 'Stop using alcohol to mask your problems.'

'Stop using sex to mask yours.' She countered.

Daniel bowed his head. 'You know that's not me anymore.'

She scoffed. 'What do you call sleeping with Wilhelmina?'

Daniel continued to look down. 'If you must know, we...I...actually...we haven't.' He huffed out a breath.

'But last night...' Alexis began.

He shot a look at her, 'Last night, people kept showing up..._phoning.' _He enunciated for her benefit. 'It just didn't happen okay, so there Mom, breathe easy.' He folded his arms.

Claire was sitting shaking her head. 'No, no, are you kidding me Daniel? You haven't slept with her yet!' Her voice, rising in pitch.

Daniel screwed his face up, confused. 'Lemme get this straight, you're mad because I _haven't _slept with her.'

'Exactly.' His mother fumed.

Daniel looked around him. 'Okay, did someone slip a Quaalude in my drink?'

Claire stood up and threw her napkin on the table. 'You know I could just about wrap my head round this when I thought it was just a physical thing...JUST! You're like your father and I could accept that you could be swayed by a beautiful woman, no matter how damaged her soul was. But this...this goes deeper and don't expect me to stand by and watch it happen!'

She grabbed her purse and began to walk away from the table.

'I know you were friends.' He shouted after her.

Claire turned on the spot. 'What?'

Daniel walked to his mother and took her arm, leading her back to the table. She sat down and looked at her two children. 'She...told you?'

Daniel shook his head. 'No, I saw an old photo. You and Wilhelmina...together...laughing...explain.'

Claire sighed and reached for Alexis' glass again. Once again Daniel tried to catch it, but she batted him away and drank the deep red liquid.

'Mom, is Daniel right? Were you two friends?' Alexis asked.

Claire smiled, but there was no warmth in it. 'Yes.' She drank more of the wine.

'What, when, how?' Alexis barraged her.

'Was it when she was creative director?' Daniel asked.

Claire nodded, 'And before that, when she was a model.'

'Mom, I don't understand...how?' Alexis pushed her.

'Look all you need to know is we were friends. Not best friends, but friends, and now we are not.'

'But why?' Daniel pressed.

'You really need to ask that question?'

'No Mom, I remember you being hostile about her long before Dad put me in Mode.'

Claire sighed. 'She told me something...years ago...a lie...or so I thought.'

Alexis leaned over the table. 'What did she say?'

'She told me...she told me your Father was sleeping with Fey Sommer's.'

'What!?' Daniel and Alexis chorused.

'But he was!' Daniel exclaimed.

'I know that now Daniel, but I didn't believe her. Thought she was trying to get me to make Bradford fire Fey so she could inch her way up the ladder even more. By the time I found out the truth, it was too late; too many horrible words had been spoken and so began the great Claire Meade Vs Wilhelmina Slater battle.' She drank deeply from the glass.

'Oh my God, Willie put her job on the line, going behind her boss to tell you about Dad.' Alexis said, still in shock.

Daniel straightened in his chair. 'So wait...you're telling me that this whole thing, all the schemes, fights, everything we went through with Wilhelmina, was all because she told you something you didn't want to hear? Because you didn't want to believe the truth!'

'Daniel, you know it got more complicated than that.' She pleaded with her son.

'Yeah but it started out simple didn't it.' He laughed loudly. 'I can't believe this feud began because of Wilhelmina being _honest. _That's one I never thought I'd hear'

'Daniel...'

'No Mom, don't try and explain now. I might say something I'll regret.' He stood up and fastened his jacket.

'Where are you going?' Alexis asked.

'I have somewhere I need to be.'

xXx

Wilhelmina had arrived back at her apartment thirty minutes ago. She was pacing the hall waiting for a knock she knew would come. At the same time she was chastising herself for the way she wanted him. She thought that when the knock came she would fly for the handle, drag him in and have him where he stood. When she heard the insistent rap on the wood, however, she froze. She hadn't realised she had been breathing so heavily, didn't notice her palms sweating. She took a hesitant step towards the door and reached out to open it. When it edged open, she saw Daniel standing there with a want in his eyes, so acute, it frightened her.

Their eyes held each other, darting wildly, searching each others for the right words to say. Finding none, he stepped into her apartment and shut the door with his foot, immediately putting his hands to her back and pulling her in. He kissed her slowly, but not without force. Her hands held onto his biceps as his lips and tongue plundered her own. She ran her hands down his arms and then up his chest to remove him of his jacket. He grasped both her hands in his and pulled back, a loud smacking noise emanating from their lips as he did so.

'What?' She questioned, in a hushed voice.

'Wait.' He said.

'Are you fucking kidding me?'

He laughed. 'Give me your phone.'

She looked at him quizzically and then smiled. She took her phone from the side table in her hallway and handed it to him. Taking his own from his inside pocket, he pressed the power button on them both until the screens went blank. Walking away from her, he turned the knob on her door until he heard a sharp click, telling him it was locked.

She pouted at him, 'This had better be worth it, I haven't been unreachable in twenty years.'

He walked back to her, wrapping an arm round her waist and drawing her back in. He lowered his mouth to her ear and growled. 'Oh it will be.'

He ran his tongue along her ear and sucked the lobe into his mouth. She ran her hands back up his body and this time he let her remove his jacket. He began walking backwards into her lounge, pulling her with him, she felt her legs hit the back of her sofa and they stopped. The only light in the room was her large imposing fireplace.

He kept her body pressed tight to his as she began working on his shirt. The skin on his chest now exposed, she raked her nails over his nipples, causing him to shudder involuntarily. His hands found the zipper of her emerald green dress and he slid it down slowly. Kissing each shoulder in turn as he lowered the straps. Pulling the dress down her body, he followed it, placing light kisses on her as he descended. Her neck, the valley between her breasts, her abdomen and she bit back groan and arched her hips towards him as he placed a kiss below her pelvis, straining to feel his lips through the fabric covering her.

The dress thrown to one side now, she stood in only her black underwear and stilettos, she began to edge the shoes from her feet when he suddenly pulled her back, tight against him.

'No, leave them on.' He said in a low voice.

She smirked up at him, before pulling his bottom lip into her mouth. Her hands travelling down his torso until she stroked him lightly through the fabric of his trousers. His hands moved to her back, unclasping the black bra encasing her breasts. He lowered the straps and let the garment fall to the floor. He dipped his head and ran his tongue over her breasts stopping to pull her nipple in to his mouth, causing her to gasp and bring her hand to his hair, holding him in place.

She nimbly removed his belt and tossed it aside. Unzipping his fly, she didn't even wait for him to remove them before she thrust her hands inside them and his boxers, gripping him tightly. He moaned loudly against her flesh and continued his ministrations on her breasts, snaking one hand down and lightly pressing her centre through the fabric. She pushed herself against him, craving more. Looking down she saw that he had kicked off his socks and shoes. _How did he manage that? _She thought, impressed.

She took her hand away from the hardness of his member and pushed his trousers and boxers down as far as she could with her hands. Leaning back on the couch for leverage she used her feet to remove them from his body. As soon as the offending items were on the floor, she wrapped her hand around him once more. Hand working faster, longer strokes against him. She felt him still against her as he momentarily lost his train of thought. Gaining it again, she gasped when in one move; he pushed her underwear to the side and slid two fingers into her. Massaging her core as he continued to suckle at her breasts. The sensations becoming too much, she pulled his head back to her and kissed him again. Her hand still pumping him, alternating between hard strokes and running her nails lightly down his shaft as her other hand moved lower still to cup him. Removing his hand from her, he grabbed her hips and groaned. If she kept this up, he wouldn't make it to the finish line.

'Willie...stop...' he panted.

She didn't listen to him, and kept her movements rhythmic and she placed rough kisses to his chest. Just as she felt him stiffen further beneath her hand, his hand flew up and grabbed her wrist, stilling her. She smiled wickedly.

He kissed her hard and pushed against her until she fell back onto the sofa behind them. He moved in a trail down her body, tongue languidly drawing patterns on her skin. His hands reached for the material of her underwear. As he slid them down her legs, he twisted her body until her hips were positioned at the edge of the couch; he slid from the sofa and manoeuvred himself until he was between her legs.

Believing he was about to enter her, she arched her back in delightful surprise when he swiftly lowered his head and she felt the coolness of his tongue against her. Her body squirmed as he mercilessly teased her. Bringing two fingers back into her as his tongue continued its assault. She twisted her hips, trying to get away from him as she felt it building within her.

'Daniel stop!'

As she had done, he ignored her. He slid his fingers from her but slid both his hands under the curve of her ass to keep her still and bring her closer to his mouth. He felt her muscles tighten and clamped his lips around the sensitive spot. She arched her back, hand painfully gripping his hair as the waves of pleasure overtook her and she released a strangled cry.

He moved his head from her and rose onto his knees. Her body still shaking from her orgasm, he didn't give her even a second to recover as he slid his length inside her. Again her body arched at the sensation. He held them still for a moment, taking in the feeling that they had been waiting for. He started moving inside her, slow at first.

Wilhelmina needed to feel more, she needed his skin against hers, she sat up on the couch, bringing her breasts level with his face, he buried his head between them as he continued to move. His hands went to her hips and he started pulling her closer, until he was lying on the cream shag-pile rug on her floor and he had pulled her from the couch to sit astride him. Her legs still locked behind his back forced their bodies to be melded into each other.

He sat up, his arms encircling her back, one hand holding her hip as the other rested between her shoulder blades. Her arms were around his shoulders, holding his head against her breasts as he leisurely thrust up against her. Her hips rocking faster and faster as she felt the familiar tingle once again burn in her abdomen. She released her grip slightly and he moved his head back, spying a bead of sweat snaking between her breasts, his tongue darted out to lick it from her. The cold of his tongue against her burning skin causing her to move faster.

He once again dipped his head and held her tight as he felt the nerves in his body start to fire, his legs began to shake and muscles tighten as he thrust up one last time into her and shouted as he came. Lifting his head to have her lips crushed to his as she rode out her own climax, crying his name against his lips.

Rocking her gently now as she came down from her high, he continued kissing her slowly. She slowly began detangling her legs from around his body, keeping their bodies close. He reached up to the sofa and pulled down her black fur throw and draped it across their bodies. He pulled her with him as he lay back on the rug, her head resting on his chest, listening to the rapid beating of his heart. The pair of them were trying to control their breathing; he felt her shiver as the sweat on their bodies began to cool. He pulled her tighter to him and wrapped his arms further around her, entangling his legs with hers.

'That...was worth the wait.' He said, exhausted.

'You mean these past few weeks, or past few years.' She teased.

'See I knew you always wanted me.' He returned her tease, earning him a low laugh as she turned and bit his chest lightly.

'You know, I do have a bed we could lie in, instead of a hard floor.'

'I can't walk that far.' They both laughed as he kissed her again.

xXx

Down in her lobby, her doorman was holding open the door for Marc. As he walked past, another woman stepped in behind him.

'Marc!' She called.

He turned to face the voice and tried not to show the contempt on his face.

'Evening Robbie, what are you doing here?'

'I needed to speak to Wilhelmina.' She offered no further explanation. 'You?'

'She wanted to finish looking over the Dior prints before Monday but she left them at the office because she....wasn't feeling well.'

He pressed the button for the elevator and was alarmed when Robbie followed him inside.

'Robbie, I just told you, she's ill.'

'Well this will only take a minute, I tried calling her cell but it was off.'

'Because she's ill, hello, she's not taking calls.'

'Well why are you different.' She pressed the button to Wilhelmina's floor.

'Because I am.' He pouted.

xXx

Inside the apartment, Wilhelmina was still lying entwined with Daniel. His hands were absentmindedly trailing patterns on her bare shoulders and down to the swell of her breasts above the fur covering them both. Her hand sneaked down between their bodies and started rubbing him; she smirked as she felt him stir under her touch.

'Are you trying to kill me?' He bit her shoulder.

'If I'd known it was this easy...' She smirked.

Just as his body was beginning to rise to the occasion, there was a knock at the door.

'Ignore it.' He pleaded.

'I was planning to.' She tilted her head and kissed him.

xXx

Outside, Marc turned to Robbie and shrugged. 'Oh well, not home.'

'But you said she was sick.'

'So...she's probably in bed.'

'But shouldn't you check if she's ok.'

'She's not answering the door.'

'You have a key Marc.'

'I'm not just going to let myself in.'

'Open the door Marc!'

Marc huffed and retrieved the key. Inserting it in the door, he played one thought over and over in his head. _Please God let her be alone._

xXx

Inside the apartment, the couple heard the door open and sprang apart in a panic.

'Who the hell is that?' Daniel whispered.

'It'll be Marc.'

'I hear two voices.'

Wilhelmina strained to hear the voices in her hallway and the colour in her face drained.

'It's Robbie!'

'Shit!'

'Hide.'

'Where?'

She shrugged and looked around. She stood up, pulling the throw around her like a sheet, leaving Daniel naked on the floor. If they weren't in such deep shit, she would laugh. Daniel kept himself pressed tight to the floor. Wilhelmina ran round the side of the couch and kicked their clothes over to Daniel with her foot. Marc and Robbie entered the room just as the last garment landed on Daniels head. He moved slowly and deliberately to put his boxers back on, sliding his shirt on slowly, trying not to lift off the floor in fear of being seen.

'Robbie, Marc, what are you doing here?'

Both Robbie and Marc's jaws dropped when they saw Wilhelmina wearing nothing but the throw. Wilhelmina resisted the urge to turn and make sure Daniel was hidden behind her sofa. If she turned and looked then they would know someone was there.

'I thought you were sick.' Robbie said, folding her arms.

'I was, I'm feeling better now.'

'So I see, so you thought you could use a little pick me up huh?'

'Excuse me?'

'I know who you're sleeping with Willie.'

Wilhelmina felt her heart beat faster. 'You do?'

'I do. And if you think I'm going to let you use Arnaud to push me out, you're mistaken.'

'Arnaud?'

'Don't act coy Wilhelmina, this exactly the tactic you used with Bradford. I'm not a simpleton like Daniel you know...so where is he?'

'Arnaud isn't here.' She said, not lying.

'Get what you want then kick him out....classy. You know I came here to try and talk to you, try to be friends...civil at least. You let me know if that's something you think you're capable of.' She spun round and left.

Marc grinned widely as Robbie left. 'So, I'm guessing we have no more...issues to resolve. I'm guessing lover boy just left...thank God Robbie and I didn't run into him outside, can you imagine!?'

Daniel suddenly sprang up from behind the couch, causing Marc to scream. 'HEIDIMONTAGPRATT!!'

When he felt his heart return to a normal rate he smiled suggestively at the pair.

'You know, you could have stayed hidden for two more minutes.' She scolded.

'I was getting cramp. Besides, it's only Marc...he's practically our pimp.'

'I hear ya hoe.' Marc drawled and saluted.

Wilhelmina rolled her eyes. 'Marc, leave whatever that is you have on the table and I'll see you on Monday.'

'Aye aye Captain.' He saluted her as well and continued smiling.

As he walked out the room, he flipped open his phone and dialled. 'Mandy, hold on two minutes, let me conference Betty.' He pressed buttons on his phone. 'Betty...Mandy...you both there? You're never gonna believe it...'

Inside the room Wilhelmina rolled her eyes and turned to Daniel. 'You're gonna pay for that you know.'

He slipped his still unfastened shirt back off his body as she dropped the throw covering her body.

'Oh I hope so.'


	15. Chapter 15

"I have this weird obsession for your breasts," he said, staring into her eyes.

They hadn't moved from their position on the floor for the whole night. He was lying beside her, with his head propped on his hand. She was looking up at him, the fur throw draping their naked bodies. She rolled on her side, pressing her body into his, sliding a hand down his side. He grabbed her wrist and stopped her, bringing her hand to his mouth and placing a kiss on her palm. She withdrew her hand and lay on her back, staring at the ceiling.

"I have seen quite a few breasts, but yours are…"

"Alright, enough about my breasts," she said, with a low chuckle. "Though I must admit I'm quite proud of them. They're the only feature I didn't pay for," she added.

He lowered his mouth to her collarbone and traced it with his tongue. She tilted her head to the side, allowing him better access; he pulled back and stared at her again. The light of the early morning threw a pale warmth across the room, glistening on her skin. He noticed the red mark on her left shoulder, where he had sunk his teeth into her skin earlier. He smiled.

"You're mine," he whispered, reaching out his hand and tracing the borders of the arc with his index finger.

"I'm not yours," she retorted.

"You are," he insisted, resting his hand on her shoulder, casually kneading the skin he found. "You're marked."

She touched a spot on his neck and smiled softly. "You have a hickey on your neck, too, but I'm not saying you're mine."

"Well, you're mine," he said again, leaning into her and brushing his lips against hers.

She put a hand on his chest and pushed him away lightly. "Daniel, as much as I would like to go at it again," she said, lifting herself in a sitting position, keeping the throw tight against her body, "I'm honestly exhausted. I haven't had any sleep, and I have to be in the office in, say, two hours. And it's morning already, you have to be careful when you get out."

She got up, dragging the throw with her. She reached on the couch and grabbed a pillow, throwing it at him. He caught it and covered himself with it, grinning like a scholar with a crush. He reached out and tried to catch the edge of the throw, but she moved it in time and he couldn't make it. "Stop it," she said, twisting around to slap his hand away.

He snorted and lay back on the carpet, keeping the pillow to cover his nudity. She looked down at him, lifted an eyebrow and kicked him in the side lightly. He twisted and laughed. "Ok, I'm going." He looked round and stretched his arm out, grabbing his boxers and putting them on, still in a sitting position. He stood up and put on his shirt. He kept buttoning it up, but he was unable to take his eyes off her body. She was still standing there, the throw wrapped around her, her head tilted to the side, her arms folded on her chest and a taunting smirk on her lips.

After putting on his trousers, he turned to her and leaned in, cupping her face. He kissed her, and was glad to see she kissed him back just as deeply. When he pushed back, he distinctly heard her sigh profoundly at the loss.

He looked down at her and she pursed her lips. "Go."

He nodded, but he couldn't let go of her. "What are we going to do next?"

"Can we wait a little before the _talk_? I don't want to label this, I don't want to lose sleep over it and think it over and over. Can we just…Take it as it comes?" she asked.

"Sure," he agreed, leaning in for another quick peck. He turned and grabbed his coat on the way. Before opening the door he turned to her again. "What are you doing today?"

"Robbie and I are going to be on the _Late Show_. I told you, didn't I?"

As hard as he tried to remember, he couldn't. "Maybe. We have something planned for the interview?"

"Don't worry," she said, with a devilish smirk. "I have it all figured out already."

"And what is it?" he insisted. A part of him was sure she hadn't told him on purpose, and it worried him slightly.

"Daniel, just go," she said, lifting an eyebrow. "Trust me, I have everything under control."

He nodded once and opened the door. Wilhelmina waited a few seconds before walking to the side table in her hallway and grabbing her phone. She turned it on, and immediately it beeped, telling her she had 35 missed calls and 18 messages in her voicemail. She snorted and ignored it all, dialing Marc's number. The boy's voice answered, groggily.

"I hope you weren't sleeping," she said.

"Who's- Willie!" he exclaimed, suddenly sounding more awake. "I was. I mean I wasn't. I mean I was but I'm not anymore. I mean-"

"Marc," she hissed, shutting him up. "Did you do what I asked you to?"

"What did you- Oh. That," he said in realization.

"Yes, that."

"Wait a sec," he said, and she heard some scrambling on the other end. "Aaaaand here it is, Williebubble. I have it here in front of me."

"You didn't just call me Williebubble," she said, but she was still smiling.

"Of course I didn't," Marc said, chuckling. "What's with the tone, by the way?"

"What tone?" she asked, collecting the tail of the throw still wrapped around her and balancing the phone in between her ear and her shoulder. She was having difficulty walking around the room, trying to collect clothes scattered around the place with her free hand.

"The tone, Willie," Marc insisted. "You sound calm. You never sound calm, unless you count the 30 seconds after you just fired someone."

"Well," she began, sighing lightly. "I'm calm."

"Oooooooooh," Marc yelled into the phone. "_I was just shagged senseless _calm?"

"No, it's the _I'm going to kick Marc's ass if he doesn't shut up _calm," she snapped. "How soon can you come over?"

"It's 7 am. I guess I can be there by 8 am," he said.

"Ok," she said. "Oh and… Marc?"

"Yeeeeah?" he slurred.

"I was just shagged senseless," she said. She smiled, moving the phone away from her ear, but still hearing a howling sound coming from it. She snapped it shut and placed it back on the table; she looked round, satisfied with how things were going. She let the throw fall down, at her feet, stepped out of it and ran towards the bathroom.

***

Daniel thanked the man and walked away from the vending stand holding a cup of coffee in his hand, and a newspaper in the other. Just as he brought the styrofoam cup to his lips something- or rather, someone- bumped into him. He jumped to the side, moving the cup away, but it was too late. A large stain of hot coffee was spreading on his white shirt.

He turned his head to the side, determined to complain, but he found himself staring at two pairs of familiar eyes.

"Are you two stalking me?"

Betty and Amanda's smiles grew wider and they started to walk alongside Daniel. "The stain really puts the outfit in a whole new _London grunge_ light," Amanda said, pointing to the shirt.

Daniel buttoned up his jacket, trying to cover the mess. "What are you doing here?"

"Coffee," the two said in unison, lifting their cups to show them to him.

"I find it hard to believe," he said, lifting an eyebrow. "We're out of your zone."

"Daniel, you're really starting to talk like _her,_" Betty whispered.

"Speaking of which, and I mean which, not witch," Amanda chimed in. "_This place _is really close to _her place._"

"Really?" Daniel said, sipping from his cup innocently. "I didn't know. I didn't notice."

"Yeah, right," Amanda exclaimed. "Anyway. I was drug-shopping with Marc today, and he told me he had been at lunch with Wilhelmina. And he told me the most inappropriate things happened in that restaurant."

"Marc is just being his usual- Wait, drug-shopping?" Daniel stopped and turned to Amanda, who had a genuinely confused look on her face. "What do you mean, drug-shopping?"

"Not recreational drugs. We were looking for…what was the name?" Amanda stuck her tongue out and narrowed her eyes, thinking. Then, Daniel could almost see the light bulb going off above her head. "Sedatives. Benzosomething."

"Benzodiazepines?" Betty asked. Both Daniel and Amanda tilted their head towards Betty. "I watch a lot of CSI," she explained.

"Anyway, yes, something like that," Amanda said, shrugging. "Wilhelmina needed those."

"Those are really powerful sedatives," Betty stated.

"Why did she need those?" Daniel asked, concern growing in his voice.

"Oh, I don't know," Amanda said. The three of them started walking again. "I think she needed them for Robbie."

Daniel stopped dead on his tracks, eyes darting to the sides rapidly, his brain computing the info as quick as he could.

Amanda and Betty turned to see why he had stopped. "What?" Amanda asked.

"Wilhelmina wants to drug Robbie on TV."

The two girls gasped. "How do you know?" Betty asked hurriedly.

"She…I…I know her," he said, shaking his head, defeated. "I can't believe this. I can't allow this. I won't stand back and watch her drug someone. I can't believe I was so stupid to think she'd changed."

Daniel spun forward, taking big steps. Amanda and Betty ran behind him, trying to keep up.

"Don't jump to conclusions, Daniel," Amanda started gesturing madly. "Maybe she just needed it to…put Marc to sleep. I swear, he can be very annoying when he has his sleepless nights. He starts singing the whole _Mamma Mia _soundtrack, and he dances too."

Betty elbowed her, silencing her. Daniel was walking fast, staring ahead, not paying attention to anything around him. He was absorbed in his thoughts. He thrust his hand into his pocket and took out his phone, dialing a number.

He brought it to his ear and waited.

"Daniel, who are you calling?" Amanda asked, scared. "Don't tell Wilhelmina! She'll know Marc told me, and Marc will know I told you. Bottom line: Marc and I are both dead."

Daniel shook his head and waved a hand her way, telling her to shut up. When the familiar voice answered his call, he lowered his, not to be heard my random people walking by.

"It's me. Meet me at Starbuck's in ten minutes. No buts."

He snapped the phone shut.

"Who are you meeting?" Betty asked, now running to keep up with his pace.

"_We _are meeting Marc," he explained, and Amanda sighed in relief. "I need an explanation, and I need it now."

Amanda bit her bottom lip. Marc would be mad, but it was better to have an angry Marc chasing you, rather than an angry Wilhelmina Slater. At least she was sure Marc wouldn't run her over with his car. Wilhelmina? Not so sure.

***

Marc opened the door to the little Starbuck's and looked around, seemingly pissed. When he saw a familiar blonde head of hair, he walked hastily towards the table. The more he drew closer to the small table the more he acknowledged the people sitting with Amanda.

When he was close enough, he placed his hands rudely on Amanda's shoulders and leaned in, whispering into her ear. "If it's what I think it is, I'll kill you."

"You're not killing anyone, Marc," Daniel chimed in. "Please, sit down."

"Daniel, you realize how close we are to the Elle offices, don't you?" Marc said, not sitting down.

"Marc, this is the place where Wilhelmina and I meet, often. If it's fine with her, I guess it can be fine with you, too."

Marc snorted and sat down unceremoniously. He shifted his eyes from Daniel to Betty, and back to Amanda again, who was looking mortified."So, this is about the Xanax, isn't it? Look, it's not what you think. Wilhelmina needs it because at times she gets a little anxious. The reason she didn't tell you, it's because she doesn't like to tell people about this little problem of hers."

Daniel looked at Amanda, narrowing his eyes suspiciously. The girl took a deep shaky breath and turned to Marc. "But you told me that it was for-"

"I told you nothing," Marc said, staring dead into her eyes. Amanda closed her mouth, every determination gone after hearing her friend's tone. Marc clapped his eyes and smiled. "So, no problem there. Daniel, just…Please, don't tell her you know."

The door of the small shop opened again before Daniel could answer, and the four people turned upon hearing a familiar voice. There, on the threshold, Robbie and Wilhelmina had just come in. They were so busy talking neither of them noticed the four of them diving behind the counter.

They pressed themselves against the white counter, and a waiter looked down at them questioningly. Daniel looked up and brought a finger to his own lips, shaking his head. The waiter frowned, then shrugged and walked away. They stood silent, listening as Wilhelmina and Robbie approached the counter and leaned against it, ordering their coffees.

Daniel, Amanda, Betty and Marc were all holding their breaths in their crouching positions, hoping to God neither Wilhelmina nor Robbie would lean over the counter.

"When are we taping the interview?" they heard Robbie ask.

"We have to be at the Ed Sullivan Theater at 4 pm," Wilhelmina replied, with an extra-sugary tone.

Daniel rolled his eyes.

"I wish they wouldn't bring Mode up this time," Robbie said, with a deep sigh. "I'm sick and tired of discussing that."

"Just let me deal with that," Wilhelmina said as the waiter came back with their coffees. The man looked down briefly once again at the four people hiding behind the counter, and then walked away, giving up.

"Wilhelmina, forgive me if I don't trust you with interviews, after the recent events."

"Robbie, you're gonna drag this forever?" Wilhelmina exclaimed, annoyed. "Tell me if you are, because I might just start blocking your voice out starting now."

They didn't hear Robbie respond. Seconds later, they heard the clicking of heels on the floor, and the door opened and closed. Marc peeked from behind the counter and saw the two women were gone. He motioned to the other three, and they all stood up.

"Thank you," Daniel told the waiter, tipping him with a ten dollar bill.

They went back at the table; Daniel, Betty and Amanda sat down, while Marc remained standing. "I have to go," Marc said. "I have an important meeting with the Dior reps," he explained.

"What meeting?" Amanda asked, looking up into his friend's eyes.

Marc shrugged, and then turned around after a last angry look for his blonde friend and left the Starbuck's. Amanda turned to Daniel and folded her arms. "He hates me."

"He doesn't hate you," Daniel said, looking up at the ceiling. "He just needs to learn now that we're all on the same side we can't keep secrets. You did the right thing."

Amanda bit her bottom lip, deep in thought. Maybe it was because the whole experience, with Mode risking being shut down, had changed her, or maybe it had been Daniel's words that had spurred her, but she started to question what she knew, and just how much she should tell. Then and there, she made up her mind, and she decided she would do the right thing.

"Daniel.." she began.

The man looked at her, something in his eyes begging her not to say what she was about to say. Amanda knew he wanted to believe in the woman he was falling for; she knew he desperately needed to trust her. But she couldn't let him trust her, not when she knew something was wrong.

"I'm sure Marc was lying, Daniel," she said, shaking her head in disappointment. "I might not be the most focused of people, but Marc is the only person with whom I remember every word he says. And he said Wilhelmina needed it for Robbie. I'm not making this up."

Daniel looked down and sighed. "I knew something was wrong. Marc is not the best liar in the world," he said. "But I really wish I was wrong."

"What are we going to do, now?" Betty asked, growing alarmed. "We can't let her do that, it's risky, immoral, it's a crime!"

"I'll call her," Daniel said, determined. "I'll tell her not to do anything like that. Amanda, I'm sorry, but I have to."

Amanda nodded, resting her head on her hand. "I know," she whispered. "Too bad, I was getting acquainted with the idea of being Wilhelmina's next assistant. I guess that's not going to be the case anymore, huh? Back to the phones."

Betty and Daniel shared a quick glance, feeling the bitterness in the girl's voice. Betty reached out and took Amanda's hand in hers, squeezing it. "It's for the greater good."

She nodded. "But the greater good sucks."

***

The town car pulled up at the sidewalk at 3 o' clock pm. The driver opened the door for Robbie and Wilhelmina, and the two women swiftly jumped in. They leaned against the leather seat, making small talk. Wilhelmina had to give it to Robbie; she was really trying hard to make things easier between the two of them. Sure, it was out of fear, but at least she was trying.

She occupied herself, rummaging into her bag, looking for something, anything. She just needed to get away from Robbie's gaze. She thanked God when, out of nowhere, her phone started ringing. She snapped it open.

"Wilhelmina Slater," she exclaimed.

"It's me."

Her blood froze in her veins. She cast a glance at Robbie, who shook her head questioningly; placing a hand on the phone she smiled at Robbie. "Marc," Wilhelmina said, before turning towards the window and speaking into the phone again, her pitch raising an octave. "Yes?"

"Is Robbie there?" Daniel's voice asked her. She knew immediately something was wrong.

"Yes, why?" she asked in return.

"I know what you're going to do," he said, blatantly mad. "Don't you dare, Wilhelmina Slater. It's beyond crazy. That's not how I work."

"Marc," she hissed into the phone, putting a lot of emphasis on the word. "Whatever drama it is you're talking about, we can talk about this when I come back into the office. Or you can come over tonight, and we'll try and talk about whatever hissy fit you're going to throw."

"Wilhelmina, don't do this," Daniel exclaimed, and she heard a tone of desperation in her voice. "Please."

She sighed deeply and smiled at Robbie, in what was supposed to be a reassuring way. "I said we'll talk later. Bye, Marc."

She threw the phone back into her purse and turned to the window. Her eyes were darting, partially thinking about the thousands ways to kill Marc for not keeping his mouth shut, and partly because Daniel seemed dead serious. Not that she cared, of course. Or did she? Why was Daniel's disapproval suddenly such a big deal for her? Why did she _need _Daniel to have her back?

She snorted angrily, rolling her eyes. She didn't need anybody's approval, and surely not Daniel Meade's. A good fuck could not change things so much, she was still the master of puppets here. No one could tell her what to do, and what not to do. Her opinion was the only thing that mattered, and that was enough to put any thought of Daniel aside for the rest of the ride.

They arrived at the Ed Sullivan theater at 3.20 pm, just like they had arranged, and they were escorted inside. A tall man wearing a grey worn out shirt and a pair of casual jeans led the two fashionistas through the maze of corridors and cubicles that were the _Late Show _offices. They reached a white door, with a label on it: "_Guest One"_. The man opened it for them and they entered.

They were immediately surrounded by hairstylists and makeup artists, praising their outfits and telling both of them just how much of an inspiration they were for everyone. Robbie and Wilhelmina smiled politely and sat down in front of the mirrors, ready for the makeover before the show.

Only ten minutes later, they heard a knock on the door, and everyone in the room turned to see the familiar old man that had hosted the show for the past twenty-eight years, David Letterman. "Hello there, ladies!" He walked in, leaving the door open. The staff took it as an invitation to leave the room, and they up and left immediately, closing the door behind them. David walked over to the women, kissing both on their cheeks, placing a hand on each back. "How are you?"

Wilhelmina looked up and smiled, and Robbie patted the old man on the stomach. "Good," she said. "How are you? How is Regina?"

"She's good, thank you," he replied. "Better than me, that's for sure."

The three shared a laugh and the host walked over to the couch, sitting down. "Alright, is there anything you want to discuss on the show, in particular?" he asked, as usual. "Or something you don't want to discuss? Although I can't guarantee I won't bring that up," he added, smirking.

Robbie let out a shaky laugh. "No, David, we have nothing to hide, right Willie?"

"You mean other than our age?" Wilhelmina joked, sparking off a chuckle from David.

"Very good," the man said, nodding. "What is the issue you're promoting?"

"Oh, it's the _Techno_ issue," Robbie explained, getting up and handing him the fresh printed issue of the magazine. He skipped through a few pages, and smiled.

"I have no idea what you guys talk about in these magazines," he said. "All I care about is clean socks and fresh boxers. That's it." He stood up and looked at the two women. "I need one of you to follow me in the office, so we can write down the discussion for the taping," he explained.

Wilhelmina smiled at Robbie and waved her hand. "You go, Robbie," she said. "I trust you."

Robbie pursed her lips, noticing the emphasis Wilhelmina had out on the word _trust_. She followed David outside, and just as the makeup people were about to go back inside Wilhelmina walked up to the door, blocking it.

"More makeup?" she asked. "Not necessary, thank you. I'm fine."

She closed the door, locking it. Pressing her back against the door she quickly scanned the room, looking for cameras: fortunately, there were none. She ran to the desk on the other side of the room and grabbed her bag; she rummaged inside it, and smiled when her hands touched the cold glass of a little pills bottle. She opened it and took out a few pills, placing them on the table.

She turned and located a bottle of water and two glasses. She poured the water into the glasses and turned, scanning the room again. She located a hairbrush on the makeup table and reached out, grabbing it. She used the handle to pulverize the two pills. Collecting the thin white powder in her hand, she spilled it into the glass. The water hissed for a few seconds, and then the powder dissolved into the liquid. Wilhelmina looked down at the glass: it looked like normal mineral water. She smiled wickedly, thrusting the Xanax bottle back into her purse, and putting the brush back in its place.

She spun around when someone tried to open the door, only to find it locked. "Wilhelmina?" came Robbie's voice. "Are you in there?"

Wilhelmina looked round one last time, to assure everything was in its place, and then walked to the door, unlocking it. She opened it and smiled at Robbie. "Sorry," she whispered, letting her in and shutting the door closed after the woman. "I needed to make an important call, I didn't need people snooping around."

Robbie nodded, checking her appearance in the mirror. Wilhelmina immediately grabbed the two glasses and handed her the spiked drink. "I know it's not champagne, but mineral water is better than nothing."

Robbie looked down at the glass and accepted it, nodding slightly. "Thank you," she said. Robbie sipped and grimaced. Wilhelmina's heart stopped; she was sure it was supposed to be tasteless.

"Something wrong?" Wilhelmina asked, feigning concern.

"No," Robbie said, taking another sip. "It's sparkling."

Wilhelmina let out a sigh of relief, and took a large gulp. "Aren't we all," she whispered.

***


	16. Chapter 16

Marc made his way inside the Mandarin Oriental Hotel; he was meeting the Dior reps in the hotel restaurant, Astiate. As he briskly walked through the foyer he felt the familiar vibrating of his cell in his breast pocket. Taking it out, he quickly pressed reject when he saw "Amanda Banana" on the display screen. He couldn't believe she betrayed him like that, he thought she understood that there were some tactics that they would have to employ in their plan that it was best for Daniel and Betty not to know.

Now, not only had she betrayed his trust; but by now Willie would know that he had told Amanda when under strict instructions to keep quiet and she had jeopardised Willie's new "relationship" with Daniel. Willie would mount his head on her wall when she got a hold of him but at least Amanda would be stuffed and mounted right along-side him. If one good thing had come out of this, it was that he was now so fired up with anger that he would not be taking any crap from the Dior reps. His shoot was genius, even Willie had agreed, there was no way he was going to do a reshoot, not with the spread being so close to going to print.

Walking into the restaurant, he gave his name to the maitre'd and was shown to a table where two men were already seated; they rose to greet him as he approached.

'Mr St James, a pleasure.' He shook the hand of each man and they took their places at the table.

The waiter handed them menus and took their drinks order. Marc could feel his bravado slipping under the gaze of the two men. Usually he hid behind Willie when intimidated but he was all alone, he had never been in this situation before. Sure he had handled his share of pitches and meetings but this was different. These people where here to criticise his work and he was beginning to feel like he really wasn't good enough. If Wilhelmina heard him now she would crush his toes with the heel of her stilettos, she always knew what to say, how to go for the jugular. He took a deep breath and tried to channel his inner Wilhelmina. He closed his menu and placed it on the table.

'Look gentlemen, let's cut to the chase shall we, no point in you shelling out for an expensive meal when it's really not going to get you anywhere. It's simply too late for a reshoot.'

The two men looked at each other. The older of the two placed his menu next to Marc's, clasped his hands on the table and leaned back into his chair.

'I don't follow you?'

Marc swallowed, trying to keep the image of Willie making Gabbana cry to keep his confidence. 'The shoot will not be redone, the concept was more than satisfactory...I have it on good authority.'

'You misunderstand me young man.'

Marc scrunched his face up in confusion. 'I don't follow...'

'We want you.'

Marc looked between the two men, eyes wide. 'What?'

'Dior. We want you to come and work for us.'

'Are you serious?'

'As a coronary.' The man was stony faced.

Marc's mouth flapped wildly for the best part of a minute. 'I don't...I mean...I don't know what to say.'

The man smiled and picked up his menu again. 'Don't say anything now, let's just eat.'

Marc nodded dumbly and picked up the menu, although his eyes weren't really seeing anything that was written down.

'Oh and...kid?' The man interrupted him.

Marc looked to him still dumbfounded.

He smiled. 'I like your self-assuredness; you need an attitude in this business, but tone it down a little huh? You're not Wilhelmina Slater yet.'

xXx

Daniel had texted Wilhelmina once he knew she would be out of the interview.

_To: Wilhelmina_

_From: Daniel_

_Did you do it? I need to speak to you NOW!_

_To: Daniel_

_From: Wilhelmina_

_Meet me at my place. We can talk._

_To: Wilhelmina_

_From: Daniel_

_No, you come here. The doorman knows to be discreet, front door is open._

That was hours ago and she still hadn't appeared. He had switched his television set on and was watching the opening of the show. David Letterman was telling the audience who his guests were, he chuckled when he heard the few light boos thrown in with the cheers when Wilhelmina's name was announced. The host was now talking to the band; Daniel wasn't paying attention to what the man was saying as he tried to call Wilhelmina again. Grimacing when it went to her voicemail, he snapped it shut and reached for the decanter beside his chair and poured himself a healthy measure of scotch. As he replaced the stopper and took a deep drink he heard Wilhelmina's name on the television once more.

Looking towards the screen he watched her form move across the studio. Watching her legs that, only that morning, were circling his waist. Lips, that mere hours ago, were pressed against his. He shook his head slightly as he watched the body that his own now craved and prayed she wasn't about to do something that would undo it all. His eyes shifting to Robbie now, he smiled as he saw the woman was completely in charge of her faculties as she kissed the host in greeting. As he watched the two women take their seats it was Robbie who began talking first. She was coherent and succinct in her answers. Daniel heard his door open and smiled wider.

He placed the drink down and stood up just as she came through the door of his lounge. He walked to her in two, large, quick, strides and without waiting for her to say anything he placed his hands either side of her face and kissed her deeply. Recovering quickly from the surprise; she leaned into the kiss, running her hands up his back. He broke the kiss and smiled at her, she smirked back.

'What was that for?' She asked, not complaining.

'You didn't do it.' He moved to kiss her again; she let him brush her lips lightly before she walked away. She walked to stand next to the chair he had vacated and lifted his half empty drink. She took a long sip from the glass; let the flavours run down her throat. She felt Daniel behind her; he moved her hair to one side and began kissing the skin he had exposed at her neck. One hand held her hair as the other snaked round her front, resting on her flat stomach and pulling her body back to him. She groaned as he continued the kisses on her neck and shoulder.

'Daniel, no.' She said half heartedly

'Willie, yes.' He responded between kisses.

She spun around in his arms and put a finger to his lips. 'Not yet...you're missing it.'

'What?'

She smiled and inclined her head towards the screen. He briefly turned to look at the show, still holding her in his arms. She turned around in his grasp again, so her back was against his chest, his hands still circling her, resting on her abdomen. He was absorbed in the task in front of him, still placing kisses on her neck; he stopped his movements when he heard a voice from the screen.

'Ms Myers...Robbie...are you okay?'

When Daniel looked to the screen he saw David Letterman and Wilhelmina looking at Robbie with looks of bewilderment. Robbie was glassy eyed and obviously completely unaware of the question directed at her. He watched as Wilhelmina reached a hand over to shake the woman gently by the shoulder.

'Robbie dear...is everything alright?' When Robbie did not answer she turned to the host. 'Poor thing...camera shy.' She said sweetly, gaining a nervous laugh from the man interviewing them.

Daniel saw Robbie turn her head towards the laughing man and as soon as her eyes landed on him she erupted into cacophonous laughter, herself. Daniel studied the women on the stage; Robbie's eyes were heavy and hooded and anyone watching would clearly deduce that she was drunk. Wilhelmina, on the other hand, was a picture of wide-eyed wonder. She appeared genuinely shocked at her partner's condition; no one would ever have guessed she was the one who caused it. He realised he still had his hands on her body and he stiffened, Wilhelmina sighed and moved her hands to on top of his, pulling them apart until she could step out of his hold. The pair of them continued watching the interview play out in front of them.

The on-screen Wilhelmina appeared to be trying to calm Robbie, handing her a glass of water and placing a comforting hand on her knee. Robbie's laughter had slowed to the occasional quiet giggle as Wilhelmina continued the interview. She still appeared intoxicated, swaying ever so slightly in her seat, unfocussed eyes and head pointed down towards her chest. As Wilhelmina was half way through answering a question, Robbie swivelled her head to look at her.

'Willie...is'ere more water?' Her speech was unmistakably slurred and Daniel closed his eyes, boiling with anger. He looked to the woman standing beside him, her eyes were fixed on the screen and he could see by the light in her eyes that she was revelling in it. Reluctantly, he turned to continue his viewing. Robbie was now leaning far forward on her chair and was reaching towards David Letterman, stretching to reach for his tie and once again laughing.

'That's sooooo awful, take it off and burn it.' Daniel grimaced as the drugged woman proceeded to kick of her shoes and tuck her legs underneath her. The host was doing his best to laugh and make light of the situation but it was getting harder for him to ignore Robbie's erratic behaviour. Wilhelmina remained the consummate professional on the show, attentively answering the questions directed at her and appearing shocked yet supporting the woman next to her...the woman deserved a fucking Oscar.

'So Wilhelmina, is it true that Arnaud Lagardère, the CEO of Elle's parent company requested you personally when it became clear you were going to leave Mode?' He focussed entirely on Wilhelmina, blocking out the woman who was now sleepily running a hand through her hair and yawning loudly.

'Well I don't know much about the decision to bring me into the fold. It was Robbie who approached me but I suppose it is possible that the decision was made by Arnaud, he and Robbie have worked together for many years, they have a very special relationship.'

'Here it comes,' the Wilhelmina who now stood next to Daniel whispered.

Robbie suddenly let out a loud laugh. 'Me? Special relationship? Please, you're the one that's *beep*ing him.'

There were loud gasps from the audience, the expletive may have been edited out but there was no mistaking what she had said. David Letterman sat, mouth agape, at his desk. The Wilhelmina on the screen had a hand to her mouth in apparent shock and was shaking her head. She lowered her hand and Daniel knew it had not been to hide her shock, but her smirk. 'Robbie...how could you...this is complete nonsense.'

Robbie laughed again. 'Don't pretend you're not a whore Willie.' She continued to laugh at her own words. Wilhelmina turned to David Letterman.

'I think this would be a good place to end things, don't you? Excuse me.'

Daniel watched as Wilhelmina left the screen before the interview had officially been ended. The show's host was looking wildly from camera to camera and the viewers were treated to one final shot of Robbie curled up on the chair laughing and shouting after Wilhelmina; 'Aww Willie c'mon! Come back and play!' Before the show cut to commercial.

In the apartment Wilhelmina took the last drink from Daniel's scotch and turned to face him, he was still staring at the screen in silence. His jaw was tight and his fists clenched by his sides. He refused to look at her. 'What did you do?' He snarled.

'Exactly what you think I did.'

'How could you do that to her?'

'It was easy...now take off your shirt.'

He turned to face her, ignoring her demand. 'I told you not to!'

She huffed out a laugh. 'Since when do you tell me what to do?'

'Since...'

'Since what Daniel? Since we fucked?' Her eyebrow arched at him.

'No! Since you came over to my side!'

She laughed again, a short burst of disbelief as her eyes widened. When she saw the look on Daniels face her laughter increased. 'You're serious aren't you? Your side? _Your _side?' She placed the now empty glass on the table.

'We have been on the same side for a while now Willie, or at least I thought we were.' He finished with melancholy in his voice.

'The same side, not your side Daniel. We have been having secret meetings, scheming behind people's backs, plotting the downfall of a rival and manipulating every possible scenario to our advantage...who's come over to who's side?'

Wilhelmina watched as the colour drained from Daniel's face as her words permeated his brain.

'But..I...we...' He looked at her, smiling at him, she was right, he had came over to the dark side. It had been such an easy transition, he hadn't even noticed it, and he had been enjoying it. Especially the "perks" that had recently presented themselves. She walked towards him, placed her hands on his shoulders and looked into his eyes, still wearing her smile.

'Now, where were we, ruining someone always puts me in the mood.' She leaned in and kissed him, he parted his lips and felt her tongue run over them. Momentarily caught up in the sensation, he moaned and returned the kiss with fervour. As she pushed her body pressed tight to his, his own began to react. He let out a muffled protest beneath the kiss, grabbed her upper arms and pushed her from him.

'No.'

She narrowed her eyes at him. 'No?'

'I'm not doing this, not with you, not after what you did.'

'Daniel, this is hardly a new colour on me, I have not changed. I will not change just because we are..were sleeping together. You're just freaking out because you have changed...and you like it.'

'But...'

'But nothing Daniel, you knew who I was when you started this. You can't change me Daniel, accept it, move past it and lose the clothes.'

He stood stock still.

She tilted her head. 'Fine, there are plenty of others who will scratch my itch.' She delighted in seeing his jaw clench as he tried not to show his jealousy.

'Like Arnaud?' The anger and implication were evident in his voice.

She laughed again. 'Are you for real Daniel? You do remember who it was hiding behind my couch when Robbie accused me of sleeping with him?'

'Doesn't mean you haven't had other opportunities.' He snapped.

She shook her head and bit her lip in amusement. 'Think what you want Daniel, and give me a call when you realise I'm right.' She began to walk away; she stopped and turned back to him. 'Just so you know, I like my apologies with champagne and grovelling.'

Daniel stared after her as she left his apartment, continued staring long after he heard his door close.

xXx

She had said those words primarily to hurt him, truth was she didn't want anybody else to "scratch her itch" and that fact alone drove her crazy. If she couldn't have the release she wanted, she would settle for the next best thing, intimidation. Which is how she found herself outside Marc's door, she wrapped her knuckles on the wood three times and squared her shoulders waiting for him to answer. She heard someone shuffle on the other side of the door.

'Amanda, I already told you to go away! Thanks to you Wilhelmina will kill me!'

'Yes she will.'

The door suddenly flew open. 'Willie! I'm sorry, I'm so so sorry, I didn't think...'

She held up a hand to stop him. He immediately fell silent as she breezed past him into his apartment. 'That's your problem; you never think do you Marc?'

'I thought Amanda would keep her mouth shut. I swear.'

'I have told you before Marc, Amanda is Daniel's girl.'

Marc walked past Wilhelmina into his small living room and slumped on his couch. Wilhelmina followed him. 'Marc I'm angry, you should be cowering...why are you not cowering?'

He picked up a cushion on his couch and started plucking at the threads on it. 'I thought she was my girl.'

Wilhelmina rolled her eyes. 'Oh for God's sake, it's no fun when you're preoccupied!' She sat next to him. 'You've killed my buzz, thank you very much!'

The two sat in silence for several minutes. Marc dimly registered how strange it seemed that they were so comfortable in each other's company that they could do that and that, although she would always scare him a little, he now counted her as a friend and knew she did the same for him, not that she would ever tell him so. He rested his head on his hand, elbow leaning on the side of the couch; she mirrored him at the other side. The pair of them, staring ahead, looking defeated. He had just been offered a great advancement in his career and she was one step closer to being back at Mode, so why, he wondered, were they both so miserable.

'So how did it go?' He asked her unenthusiastically.

'Like clockwork.' She answered, equally unenthused.

'So what's going to happen?'

Wilhelmina continued staring at an undefined spot on Marc's carpet and shrugged. 'Arnaud has a meeting with Robbie in the morning, he's flying in from his holiday in Monaco.'

'And?'

'She'll be on forced leave; he called to tell me I'm on my own from now on, until she sorts her problems out.'

'That's great, that's what we wanted right?'

'Yep.'

They fell back into silence, still staring ahead, one of them letting out the occasional sigh.

'Willie.'

'What?'

'I have something I need to tell you.'

'Don't tell me, you're coming out of the closet.'

He tried to laugh at her but it came out as more of a wheeze. She turned to face him. 'What is it?

'I had a meeting today with the Dior reps.'

'I know, they came to me to help set it up.'

He sat bolt upright and faced her.

'You knew.'

'I know everything, I was wondering when you were going to grow the backbone to mention it. Not as long as I thought, good for you.'

'So you know why they wanted to meet me.'

'I do.'

He smiled at her; she sat up and hesitated for a second before taking one of his hands, shocking him. 'I told you doors would open for you Marc. I wish I could be 100% happy for you but let's say I'm 90% happy for you and 10% sad for me. Oh who am I kidding, 10% for you and 90% for me.'

He smiled at her. She returned the smile and pulled tight on his hand causing him to fall forward on the couch and she hugged him tightly but briefly and then pushed him back again. They smiled at each other again and she stood to leave.

'I'll miss you Marc. Mode just won't be the same.' She was nearly at his door when she heard him call out.

'I turned it down!'

Marc waited, listening to the silence in his hall, eventually he heard the tell tale clack of her heels as she walked back to his living room. She stood on the threshold, mouth open and eyes wide. 'You did what?'

'I turned it down.' He repeated.

'I heard you Marc, why the hell would you do that? The position you were offered was much more prestigious than the one you will have at Mode.'

He shrugged. 'You've said it a million times Willie, Mode is home.'

'Yes Marc, to me! I have built my career in that magazine, you are just starting. There are a million ways for you to spread your wings. You're clipping them by turning this down. If word gets out you are refusing opportunities like this you will stop getting them.'

'Well, it's done. Can we drop it please?'

'You don't tell me to drop it! I...'

'Willie.' His voice was soft. 'Please.'

She set her mouth in a line and exhaled through her nose, she sat back down with a thump.

'And here I thought your mood was because you had to tell me you were leaving. Are you really that cut up about Amanda?'

'Are you really that cut up about Daniel?' He countered, his eyebrow raised.

'I don't know what you mean.' She avoided his gaze.

'Come on Willie, your plan worked flawlessly. You're practically back at Mode, but you're sitting here looking like someone has just told you Uggs are back in.'

She sighed loudly. 'When the hell did it start bothering me what Daniel Meade thinks?'

Marc smiled, amused that Wilhelmina could be so smart in most areas of her life, yet so monumentally stupid when it came to her own feelings. 'Since you started falling for him.'

Her head snapped round to face him, her expression one of disbelief. 'Falling for him, please Marc. It's Daniel! I am not _falling_ for him. It was just sex.'

'I dunno Willie, it's been building for a while now. I think you looooove him.' He laughed.

She narrowed her eyes to slits. 'The urge to kill you is returning.'

He bounced himself to turn around on the couch and was now facing her; she was resolutely staring ahead now. 'Willie, this is you and Daniel. There is no way you would sleep with him if it was JUST sex. You know that, there is too much mess and baggage involved for you to risk it for a quick lay! Especially now, it could have blown our whole plan to smithereens if you two had even been seen talking together, never mind...'

She knew he was right. 'Yes thank you, I get the picture.' She sighed again; 'Why did I let this happen?'

'You're only human.'

She looked into his eyes. 'Don't tell anyone.'

xXx

Daniel had left his apartment and walked around with his thoughts, he wasn't walking anywhere in particular but when he looked up he saw his feet had taken him to familiar territory. Letting himself inside he walked through the house and found the woman sitting on the large cream couch, a goblet in her hand.

'It's non-alcoholic I swear.' She smiled at him.

He smirked back. 'I believe you mom. I, on the other hand, need something stronger.'

'Fine I lied, the bottle's in the cooler, help yourself.'

Walking slowly through to the large, cold, kitchen, he helped himself to some of the wine. Coming back through, he sat on a chair opposite his mother.

'I take it you saw the interview.'

Claire threw her head back. 'Oh that.' She laughed; 'delightful.'

Daniel sat up straight, 'Wait, you approve?'

'Well, we all know we needed something final to bring this to a head.'

'But drugging someone?'

Claire squinted at her son. 'You didn't know?'

'You did?' He asked incredulously.

She nodded, 'Wilhelmina told me.'

'What, she told _you_?'

'Yes, she came here and...'

'Hold the phone. She came here?'

'Are you going to let me finish?'

Daniel waved his hands, signalling her to continue. 'She came here and we discussed how to best work it without harming Robbie. She wanted to make sure she could pull this off without endangering her in anyway. It was me who suggested the Xanax.'

'You?'

She nodded. 'Look Daniel, I don't really see what the problem is here. You wanted me to work along-side her and I did, with glorious results, I might add.'

'Glorious? The woman was drugged on television! She was completely out of it!'

She flapped a hand at her son. 'Oh please, Xanax gives you a temporary high. It makes you drowsy and uninhibited. That's it.'

'But on television mom?'

'Exactly Daniel, on television, in a studio, with trained medical staff on hand. If, God forbid, some serious side effect had presented itself, Wilhelmina made sure there were people on hand to deal with it. It's not like she fed her drugs and left her alone somewhere.'

'Oh yes, because THAT would be unethical.' He said sarcastically and stood up.

'Daniel, Wilhelmina is the most unethical person I know. You knew this, why is it such a shock now?'

'I know mom, but this...drugs!? She could have killed her.'

Claire laughed. 'Daniel it was Xanax, not heroin, I've taken it many times. And anyway, if you ever tell her I said this I will deny it until I breathe my last, she was right. Things were going far too slow, Elle was recovering almost as quickly as we were sabotaging. Without something this scandalous, this grand, we would never get this over with.

'Are you defending her?'

'Oh God I am, aren't I?' She looked genuinely appalled with herself.

'Look Daniel, unethical; yes, a bitch I would like to see rot; most definitely. But she wouldn't put anyone in any physical danger and I think you know that. If you thought she was capable of that I know you wouldn't be allowing yourself to get involved with her.'

Daniel stuffed his hands in his pockets and looked to the ceiling. 'Yeah well, you don't need to worry about that anymore. We are no longer...involved.'

Claire nodded slowly, 'Ah, so now we come to the crux of your current mood.'

He looked at his mother, confused. 'What do you mean?'

'You're not really angry; you're definitely not really shocked. You're looking for an excuse.'

He laughed. 'You're crazy.'

'I don't think so Daniel. You have realised just who it is you are getting into a relationship with and it rightfully scares the hell out of you. So the first bad thing that comes along, you grab it and run with it. Use it to push her away and to end it all. You are so terrified that she is going to screw you over that you put a stop to it before she gets the chance to.'

'What are you, my shrink or my mother?'

She shrugged; 'Just making an observation.'

He thought his mother's words over in his head. Was she right? True, what she had done to Robbie was tame in comparison to some of the stunts she had pulled in the past. Was he just using it to get out of their new situation? He looked up at his mother.

'You could be right.' He was truly surprised at the revelation.

'Of course I am, I'm your mother aren't I?' She smiled and walked to him, placing a hand on his cheek. 'Darling, in any relationship, there will be trying times. Times where you get scared, angry, confused. Times when you want to run and I'm guessing because of just who we're referring to, you will have more of those times than most people.' He laughed. 'If you give into those feelings every time you feel scared or threatened in a relationship...you'll end up alone Daniel.'

Daniel leaned in and hugged his mother, kissing her cheek before relinquishing his hold. 'I better go buy some champagne.'

'What?'

'Nothing.' He chuckled, he went to leave his family home but before he could, he laughed and turned to his mother.

'You do realise you just convinced me to go back to Wilhelmina Slater.'

'I have no idea what you mean.' She feigned innocence. 'And that will remain the official story or I tell people about how you dressed up in my heels as a boy.'

He laughed as he left his mother sitting in her lounge, praying she had said the right thing to her son.


	17. Chapter 17

She stared at the ceiling from her position on her bed. She had her legs over the headboard, and her hands linked under her head. The television threw a blue light over the otherwise dark room. She had thought rewatching the interview would lift her spirits, seeing how everything had gone according to their plans, but she felt unsatisfied. She had stopped watching after the first couple of minutes, and the voices were just a buzzing noise in the back of her mind.

She had known Daniel wouldn't agree at first, but she had at least hoped he would understand eventually. She had hoped he would listen to her, and admit it was for the best. She had been naïvely hoping Daniel Meade, Daniel '_I'm so good I don't kill spiders' _Meade, would accept something so extreme. Obviously, she'd been wrong.

She slid a hand down her thigh, massaging the sore muscles. Adding frustration on frustration, it was just typically cruel of God to take away that which she'd just discovered. That being sex with Daniel, which was outstanding, exceeding her expectations. The memory of the night before kept bugging her with the impurest of thoughts, and he wasn't there to help her with it.

She let out an annoyed snort, kicking the air in anger. She rolled over to the edge of the bed and sat up, watching as Robbie's half closed eyelids looked back at her through the screen. She smirked at the recollection of what had happened in the studio, earlier.

When she had called Arnaud, as soon as the taping had come to an end, she'd enjoyed playing the role of the concerned friend, telling him how she was deeply scared for Robbie's health, and hinting at previous similar events. She had, of course, made it all up, but Robbie was in no state to deny anything. The show production staff had called the ambulance and Robbie had been transferred to Cedars-Sinai so that they could run blood tests and take care of her.

She hadn't heard from Robbie or Arnaud after that, but she knew the situation was bad. She'd been receiving calls non-stop from the office, the press, the agencies. She hadn't answered any of those, just like Arnaud had told her. He had decided to set up a conference to announce Robbie's leave on Monday morning that she would have to attend. Everything was going according to their plans, indeed. They were this close to the final goal, she was this close to Mode.

Yet she could feel Daniel slipping away. She tapped one foot on the carpet, impatiently. She was looking at the phone, as if staring at it could somehow make it ring. Of course she knew it wouldn't.

She reached to the nightstand and grabbed the remote, turning the TV off. She stood up hastily and threw the remote on the bed, leaving the room. Entering the kitchen she opened the fridge and stared at the empty shelves. She slammed it shut and leaned against it, folding her arms. Looking up at the ticking clock she read it was 3am. She didn't know if it was the high of being successful in yet another one of her schemes, or maybe the depression of not having him to celebrate with her, but sleep didn't seem to be in the picture.

She knew she was headed towards a sleepless night, so she grabbed her Blackberry from the kitchen counter and sat on a stool, checking her emails. '_237 unread emails'_. She scrolled the page down, skimming through the senders. One email caught her attention immediately.

_From: Joe Zee  
Subject: (no subject)  
Text: I don't know what is going on, but that was hysterical._

She chuckled, remembering how Joe Zee had been somewhat kind to her after she joined Elle. He had decided to leave the magazine, meaning there were no hard feelings between them. Actually, talking to him shortly after her coming to Elle she had realized they were more similar than she'd ever guessed.

After finishing scanning quickly the rest of the unread messages she placed the phone back on the counter and leaned her elbows against the cold metal, putting her head in her hands and pressed her index fingers against her temples.

She lifted her head and stood perfectly still, hearing a noise coming from the other room. She narrowed her eyes, asking herself if she'd locked the door. She swiftly stood up from the stool and tiptoed into the dining room. It was absorbed into darkness, but she could see that the light from the landing was on, noticing the thin line at the bottom of her entrance door. She took a few steps but stopped when she heard the noise of something entering the keyhole.

Her eyes widened and her breathing quickened, watching as the doorknob slowly turned. She looked round, looking for something heavy or sharp, but nothing seemed to have any of those requirements. So she just stood there, in the middle of the room, observing how the person on the other side pushed the door opened slowly, eliciting a discrete squeak.

She took a step back as the person stepped over the threshold. He had his back on her, she couldn't see who it was, but she could make out his profile.

"Daniel!"

The man jumped and the next thing she heard was the noise of glass shattering on the floor. She ran to the wall, switching the light on. Her gaze fell at his feet, where the pieces of glasses were shattered around and a pool of a light liquid was widening on the marble floor.

"What the hell!" he yelled, kneeling down to collect the pieces. She folded her arms on her chest and walked up to him, looking down on him. He looked up and sighed. "I'm sorry."

She lifted an eyebrow, expecting more. "That key is supposed to be for emergencies only."

"Look," he began. "I brought the champagne. And I'm groveling," he added, with a smile, pointing at his bended knees. "I'm sorry," he repeated, sitting down on his own heels.

She bit her bottom lip trying desperately to suppress a low chuckle. He pouted slightly and she reached her hand out; he grabbed it and stood up, pulling her towards him and circling her waist. She looked up, puckering her lips in that childish manner she would only rarely let anyone see. He leaned in and she closed her eyes, ready for his kiss.

Suddenly he tugged at her waist and lifted her from the ground, picking her up and throwing her over his shoulder.

"Hey, what-" she tried to complain, slapping his back.

"Shush," he cut her off, starting to walk towards her bedroom, unable to resist the urge of slapping her butt.

She gasped and twisted, trying to get free. "You did NOT just slap me!"

He stepped over the threshold of her pitch-dark bedroom and let her down. Before she could say anything he pressed his lips against hers, keeping her tight against his body. She grabbed him by the back of his shirt and pulled him closer, deepening the kiss, unbuckling his pants with the other hand.

He smirked at her urgency and pulled back. "I knew you'd never be able to go one whole night without me," he whispered.

"Oh, shut up," she hissed, and his pants fell on the ground, around his ankles. He stepped out of them and picked her up; she wrapped her legs around his waist and grabbing a fistful of his hair she brought his head up and kissed him. He walked backwards until his legs hit the mattress and they both fell down on the bed.

He slid his hands under the skirt of her dress, grabbing a feel of her ass. She slapped his hands away and sat up straight, stretching her arm out to the nightstand and switching on the small lamp. He looked up at her and smiled.

"You like to see me, don't you?" he said, sitting up and circling her waist again, kissing her neck.

She pushed him back on the mattress rudely and folded her arms, still straddling him. "You're not done with your apologies," she stated.

He frowned. "Weird, I thought you had already accepted my apologies when you had your tongue down my throat."

"You think you're funny, don't you?" she snapped.

"Actually, yes."

"Why did you come here?" she asked. "I thought you didn't like the way I acted."

"I didn't," he said, rolling her eyes. "But I changed my mind," he added, sliding his hands on her thighs. She shoved them away annoyed. "WHAT!" he asked with a hint of desperation.

"You _changed your mind_?" she repeated skeptical. He nodded and shot up in a sitting position again, his hands working on the buttons of her blouse. She didn't stop him, though she never stopped looking at him, the damn eyebrow up.

He pushed the fabric down her shoulders, tossing it to the side. He leaned in and his hands roamed her back, pushing her into him. Daniel's tongue darted out, teasing her over the lacy bra, and she couldn't resist tilting her head back and pulling him closer.

"What made you change your mind?" she whispered, while his hands worked the zipper of her skirt. She pushed him back, forcing him to look at her. He snorted and leaned back on his elbows.

"You know, this is the least arousing foreplay of my life," he said.

"Fine," she said simply, getting off him and off the bed. She took off her skirt and Daniel couldn't help but smirk at the sight of her round ass. She turned around, clad only in her underwear, and smiled bitterly. "You can go."

She turned around and walked to the closet, opening the doors and grabbing a hanger. Daniel propped himself up, looking bewildered at her half-naked body moving around the room. She closed the door of the closet and turned to see him still in the same position.

"I mean it," she said. "You can go."

"Are you kidding me?" he asked, slumping backwards on the bed and covering his face with his arms.

"No," she said, placing her hands on her hips. "You came here thinking you could just get me drunk on champagne and fuck my brains out, and I would just forget that you basically said I was a backstabbing whore?"

"Oh come on!" he exclaimed, his voice muffled by his arms. "I didn't say that!"

"Oh, but you implied it."

He stood up on the bed hastily, jumping on the mattress in frustration. "I was angry!"

"Daniel, get off my bed immediately!" she said, looking up at him shocked. "You're not a twelve year old, come back down."

He slumped back on the mattress in a sitting position, still bouncing. Wilhelmina walked up to the side of the bed and grabbed him by the sleeve of his shirt, pulling at it and trying hard to drag him out of her bed. He shoved her hand away and grabbed her by her wrist, pulling at her.

She lost her balance and fell on the mattress, face down. He pulled at her shoulder, rolling her over and straddling her, pinning her hands above her head and blocking her movements.

"Let me go, you jerk," she complained, trying to free her hands.

"No," he said, looking straight into her eyes. "I want you to listen to me, and tone down the attitude."

She blew a strand of hair away from her face and pursed her lips in a thin line. He tilted his head to the side and let go of her hands. She didn't move.

"I said I'm-"

"You said that already."

"OH MY GOD, SHUT UP!" he said, exasperation clear in his voice. Her eyes widened in shock. "Yes, shut up! How can I tell you anything if you keep talking over me?"

"Fine!" she yelled. "Say what you need to say, and do it quick."

He smiled and folded his arms over his chest, careful not to crush her while still sitting on her. "I talked to my mother."

"How is mentioning Claire going to earn my sym-"

"Didn't I ask you to shut up?" he cut her off. "Yes, I talked to my mother. We had an interesting conversation, and I think she helped me see some things that were...quite obscure. I'm scared, Willie, I am. I'm scared being with you will make me discover a new part of me that I don't really want to see. Most of all, I'm scared you'll break me again. So...maybe...yes, I was just looking for an excuse to pull back. Maybe I just needed to run away, and pretend things were back to normal, that I was back to normal, to what I was before..._us."_

_"Us?" _she repeated, drawling the word.

"Yes, _us_," he exclaimed. "Because whether you like it or not now there _is _an _us_, and you know that."

Wilhelmina sighed deeply. "I never thought I would live to see the day Daniel Meade turned Wilhelmina Slater down. Apparently, I was wrong," she said, and she tried to push him away. "You could have said it sooner, it's not like I'm going to beg you to stay. I can go on without you, Daniel."

He grabbed her wrists and looked at her, stopping her again. "What I'm trying to say is that...Yes, I needed to go back to where I was, but once I did, I didn't like it anymore. I don't want to be the person I was anymore, because I want to be the person I am now, I want to be the person you made of me. I like it, here."

She narrowed her eyes, and let her arms fall down on the mattress. Her expression softened imperceptibly. He rolled off her, lying on his side, his head propped on his hand, waiting for a reaction. She turned her head looking at him, opening her mouth and closing it again, without really saying anything.

"Was that too much?" he asked. "Did I melt your microchips?"

She rolled over and cupped his face, without a word, and she kissed him fully on the lips. He placed his hands on her hip, his fingers toying, playing with the lacy fabric. She pulled back and studied his features, while her fingers slowly unbuttoned his shirt, taking her time with each one. He looked down at her hands softly, amused by the fact she was speechless.

When she unbuttoned the last button he took her hands in his and she looked at him. "I..." she tried to say, but she was finding it hard to say whatever she wanted to say.

He slid his hands up her arms to her shoulders, pulling her towards him. She brushed her lips against his, running her hands on the newly exposed skin. She broke the kiss and they lay inches apart, eyes closed, noses touching.

"I guess I accept your apology," she finally whispered. "And because you already humiliated yourself enough...you can stay on top."

He smirked and ran a hand through her hair, positioning himself over her.

"Now, _that _is something I'm going to enjoy," he exclaimed grinning widely. He tugged at the sides of her underwear, sliding it down her legs and tossing it aside carelessly. She captured his lips with hers, tugging at his boxers and freeing him. He got rid of the remaining pieces of clothing in the way, and came back to her, relishing the fact that he was the one on top. Looking down on her, feeling her body writhe under him in anticipation, could hardly be compared to any other woman he'd had in his past.

She lifted her legs, wrapping them around his waist, and let her hands roam his back, scratching lightly. She traced the muscles of his back, descending on his butt and pulling him down to her. He resisted at first, in the illusion that being on top meant he was the one in control. But when she leaned up and crashed her lips against his, biting and sucking his bottom lip, he knew there was very little he could do to resist.

He entered her slowly, and once again the feeling of being inside her overcame him. It was a sensation he was sure he would never get tired of, or get used to. Her back was arched and her breasts were pressed against his chest, gasping at the sensation. He used an arm to prop himself up and have an easier access.

He began thrusting into her at a slow rhythmic pace, his eyes rolling inside his head and his hands clenching the sheets with every thrust. Her legs were wrapped high around his waist, her ankles linked and her nails were digging into his shoulder blades. He liked it, and she knew that already.

It was hard to believe it was only the second time they did this, seeing how perfectly in sync they were. Truth be told, they'd been going at it in their minds for ages. At least in _his _mind.

Her walls started tightening around him, and he slowed down, not wanting to rush it. She moaned in frustration, digging her nails deeper and opening her eyes to look at him. He pulled back slowly, while her grip grew stronger on his waist, trying to pull him back to her. He smirked at how her body was completely out of her control. He felt the muscles of her legs quivering and her erratic breathing, giving away much more then she let her eyes show.

He halted every movement and looked at her for what seemed like an eternity. Weird enough, she looked back and he could see behind those eyes for once. She parted her lips, but he leaned in, capturing them, before she could say a word. She kissed him back, moaning into the kiss as he thrust back into her.

He picked up the pace again, never leaving her lips, devouring her as if this was the last thing he would do in his life. He felt her inner walls tightening around him again and she cried out, throwing her head back as her climax hit her. He buried his head against her neck, and bit down on her collarbone to stifle the moans as he reached his own release too, following her.

He slumped over her, both breathing hard. She ran a hand through his hair, her chest raising and falling in time with her breathing. He turned his head, resting his ear against her, listening to the beat of her heart. It was soothing, calm. He closed his eyes and let the sound of her breathing and the comforting touch of her hand bring him back from his high.

He rolled off her and grabbed her hand, squeezing it.

"You can stop being corny, now," she said, still breathing heavily. He chuckled and let go of her hand, reaching for the sheets and throwing it over their bodies. "You can't sleep here."

"I'll be out of here in a few hours," he said, pulling her to him and spooning her. "Don't worry," he added, kissing her shoulder.

She cast him a glance, looking over her shoulder, and saw his peaceful expression as he lay there, his chin in the nook of her neck, his eyes closed and a childish grin curving his lips. She shook her head and chuckled.

"You have to be out of here at 5."

"Yeah," he mumbled.

"I mean it, you really have to."

"I will," he drawled.

She sighed and closed her eyes, while subconsciously her hand went to search for his. He smiled when she took it and their fingers entwined. He thought about the times when they'd hurt each other, and realized they'd all brought them to this.

It had been worth it.

***

"I take it you still haven't answered any of Amanda's calls."

Marc turned his head to the woman sitting next to him, in the car heading to the hospital on Monday morning. The partition was up, allowing them some privacy. Wilhelmina had insisted to have him with her, not because she needed him, merely because she wanted him there for no particular reason at all.

Marc tilted his head questioningly and Wilhelmina nodded towards his legs, where his hands were clasping his phone tightly. "You've been staring at it for the past ten minutes. Not that I care, but you haven't even told me how amazing my new Balenciaga is," she explained, passing a hand adoringly over the white leather of her bag.

He smiled and touched it too, but she slapped his hand away. "You can look, but you can't touch."

He sighed and returned his gaze upon the screen, the red light signaling many missed calls and unread messages. "By the way you're right, I haven't answered her calls."

"Marc, I think you're making it bigger than it really is," she offered, looking ahead. "If Daniel and I can get over this, I'm sure-"

"Well, you and Daniel…" he lowered his voice to a whisper leaning in. "Let's just say you have ways to solve your problems that Amanda and I can't consider using."

Wilhelmina grinned, sighing contentedly. "It is quite useful, indeed."

"TMI."

"Anyway, sex is not the only way to solve problems," she added. "Sometimes…words can be useful too."

"Oh trust me, Willie, if I spoke to Amanda now I would say something I will regret," he said, matter-of-factly. "Changing the subject, I saw Lagardère's landing at JFK on FashionTV, this morning. He seemed pretty upset," he said, smirking.

"Of course he is," she said, smoothing the fabric of her skirt. "Everything is absolutely perfect. Now Marc, I can't remember, but usually this is the moment where something happens to fuck everything up royally, right?"

"Technically, yes," he said. "But the _thing _usually had to do with Daniel, or Betty, or Claire…And seeing how we have them all on board this time…"

"Speaking of Claire," she exclaimed, silencing him. "You want to know something weird and funny at the same time? She's the one who talked sense into Daniel."

"Well, she's also the one who proposed the stunt; it's only fair that she takes the blame."

"It's not about the blame," she explained, shaking her head, confused. "She pushed Daniel back to me. It's…unexpected. Makes you wonder if she has some sort of secret agenda."

Marc's phone rang again, and they both looked down at the screen.

_Mandy, mobile._

"Answer," she said. "It'll make you feel better."

"No," he exclaimed, sending the call to voicemail.

"Marc, I swear, if that phone rings one more time I'll throw it out of the window," she threatened.

He tilted his head to the side, grinning. "Wouldn't be the first time."

The car pulled up at the big gate of the Cedars-Sinai. The driver's voice came from the interphone. "Miss Slater, it's full of reporters. You want me to stop, or should I just go ahead?"

Wilhelmina shrugged. "I'm not in the mood for reporters, just run them down."

The car sped up, and the reporters moved out of the way. She looked through the darkened tinted windows, watching as the people looked at the car wondering who it was. They drove through the big structure, and the car pulled up when they reached the psychiatric ward.

"You know Willie," marc said, as they got out the car and pushed the doors of the ward opened. "Don't kill me, but I always thought sooner or later we would be paying a visit to this department."

"What are you implying, Marc?" she asked while they crossed the huge hall and reached the reception.

"Nothing," he added quickly, and she leaned over the counter, impatiently waiting for a nurse. "Just, you know how the Meades are... I always thought they would have you committed sooner or later." She looked at him lifting an eyebrow. He felt grateful to the nurse who chose the right moment to walk up behind the desk.

"Oh, I'm sorry, uh…" Wilhelmina squinted, trying to read the woman's name on the name tag. "Julie. Sorry, Julie, I'm Wilhelmina Slater, I'm here to visit Robbie Meyers."

The woman looked at Wilhelmina as if she'd seen a ghost. "Miss Slater, I don't think you're allowed inside."

"What?" Wilhelmina snapped. "That's impossible."

"Finally!" came a voice from behind them. Marc and Wilhelmina spun around to see Arnaud Lagardère walking at a fast pace towards them. "Wilhelmina, dear, it's a pleasure to see you," he said, kissing her on the cheek and turning to shake Marc's hand.

"Arnaud, why is this woman telling me I can't go inside?" she asked, her voice taking a dangerous edge.

"They're with me," he whispered to the nurse, and he led them both to the lift. "We've been having a few problems, Willie."

"What do you mean?" she asked, as the three of them stepped inside the lift. Once the door closed she turned to Lagardère, who was looking intently at the light signaling the floors passing by. "Arnaud? What is going on?"

Marc looked at her and she returned the look. Maybe they'd spoken a little too soon.

"Robbie says it's your fault," Arnaud said. "She says you're after her job, just like you were after Daniel Meade's. And she says she thinks you've been working behind her back. _Our _backs."

"And you believe the word of a drug addict over mine?" she exclaimed, raising her voice.

"No," he simply said. She opened her mouth to retort something, but was taken aback by the admission.

"What do you mean _no_?" she asked.

"I mean no, I don't believe it of course," he explained. The elevator doors dinged opened and they stepped out. They followed Arnaud along a white corridor they couldn't see the end of. "But I must admit it was funny to see how worked up you get."

Wilhelmina snorted and shot a glance to Marc, who was looking quite relieved himself. For a second they'd really feared their plans had reached a dead end street.

"I've known Robbie for years, Wilhelmina," Arnaud explained. "I can see how she could be ashamed of admitting something. There were traces of Xanax in her blood, so I'm thinking she might have been having problems with prescription drugs for a while now. She keeps saying it was you who spiked her drink, or something, but as much as I would like to trust her I don't. People lie when they're afraid to taint their reputation."

Wilhelmina smiled and nodded. Marc bit back a giggle.

"Anyway, I've already arranged everything," the old man said, and they took a turn left. They stopped in front of a closed door and Arnaud placed his hand on the doorknob, turning to them before opening. "She'll be spending as much time as she needs to recover at the Betty Ford center, in California. You'll be on your own until she comes back. I don't want to replace her; I don't want to fire her. I want to _help _her, is that clear?"

Wilhelmina smirked. "Crystal clear."

***

"Amanda, you know this is stupid, right?" Betty's high pitched voice caught the girl's attention.

Amanda had been sitting on the floor of Marc's landing for the past three hours. She had her back against his front door and her legs crossed at the ankles. When she'd arrived she'd tried knocking for more than half an hour. At first she'd thought he didn't want to open up, but she'd started to accept the fact that maybe he was really out. So, she'd decided to wait for him. He couldn't avoid her forever.

She lifted her eyes and saw Betty standing a few feet away, looking down on her.

"Go away, betty," she hissed. "This is between me and Marc."

"Amanda, it's not fair of him to keep a grudge," Betty insisted. "You did the right thing, he can't be mad at you for that!"

"Well, apparently he can because that's exactly what he's doing," Amanda said sarcastic. "And if that means I have to beg for his forgiveness, well maybe I will, because contrary to what you think, your and Daniel's friendship isn't the only relationship that has roots, here."

"I never said that," Betty exclaimed defensively.

"Oh but you thought about it," Amanda snapped, folding her arms.

Betty sighed and took a few steps closer. She leaned against the door and slid down, sitting next to Amanda. She placed a hand on the girl's knee.

"I don't think your friendship with Marc is stupid."

"No, that's right, you think _I _am stupid."

"On the contrary, the only reason I came here is because I think you're smart enough to realize you don't deserve this."

Amanda tilted her head back against the door. "Marc is the yin to my yang. The Britney to my Christina. The Nicole to my Paris. The Ashley to my Jessica."

"Ok ok," Betty stopped her. "I get it." Amanda smiled at the confusion on the girl's face. "Look, I know Marc is important to you," Betty continued. "But you're just as important to him. He'll come around, eventually."

"I know he will…It just hurts that…Never mind."

"Amanda, you're not jealous of Wilhelmina, are you?" Betty asked.

Amanda puckered her lips. Hastily, she stood up and brushed some dust off her butt. "Let's go, Taco Betty," she said, walking to the lift. Betty stood up and followed her. They stood in front of the elevator, and when the door opened they were surprised to see Marc St. James typing on his Blackberry.

He looked up and stopped, seeing them. "What are you doing here?" he asked, returning his gaze on the screen and went back to typing on his phone. He stepped out, not looking at them, and walked to hit entrance door. He put the key in the keyhole and turned it, unlocking it.

"Marc…" Amanda said, tentatively.

"Don't," he said, spinning around and facing her. "Let me deal with this on my own. Stop calling, stop sending messages, and for God's sake, stop trying to get me to talk in every possible way! Just leave me alone, while I try to figure out whether I really need a friend who finds it so easy to blurt out everything I tell her."

Betty stepped forward, placing her hands on her hips. "Marc!"

"What, Betty? This is none of your business. I know you couldn't keep a secret from Daniel if your life depended on it, so I'm not really surprised you're siding with her. Just do me a favor and go back to Mode, go back to Daniel while I take care of _my _stuff."

He stepped inside his apartment and slammed the door in their face. Betty turned to Amanda, whose face was changing from a sad expression to an angry and shocked one. She saw the petite blonde march up to the door and kick it violently.

"SMUG ASSHOLE!" she yelled, hitting the door with her bag. "I HATE YOU!"

Betty sprinted forward and grabbed her by her arms, holding her back. "Amanda, stop."

"YOU HEARD ME? I HATE YOU!"

"Mandy, please…"

Amanda shrugged the girl's hands off her, and walked away, taking the stairs. Betty looked at the closed door first, and then she turned to leave. When she heard a light squeaking sound she turned back around and saw the door to marc's apartment opening slowly. She stared at the man's face, and shook her head.

"You know she doesn't."

"I know," he said. "But I need to get over the betrayal."

"Betrayal? Marc, this is not betrayal! We're working together, it's no longer a question of betrayal or loyalty. We're all on the same boat."

"Still, I need to get over it, and I need her to leave me alone," he insisted, leaning against the doorframe.

"Well, Marc, you can do whatever you want. But let me tell you, I'm not sure she'll still be there when you finally understand she's right."

***

There was something different in the Elle offices, when she arrived, after the press conference. It was the way people talked to her now, the way they looked at her as if she was their only light. She walked down the corridor and inside her room, feeling so self-confident she didn't notice the presence in her office.

She threw her coat and her bag on the couch and moved to sit down and appreciate the moment when she noticed a spot of blonde hair. She jumped and let out a shriek.

"What are _you _doing here?" she hissed, running to lock the door.

Claire Meade stood up from the black leather chair behind Wilhelmina's desk, chuckling.

"Have you lost your mind?" Wilhelmina slammed her hands down on her desk. "How did you get in? Did they see you? What have you told them?"

"Stop worrying, I can see the botox fading with each word," Claire exclaimed, calmly. "Everyone thinks I'm here to talk about the Mode/Elle softball game."

"Oh," Wilhelmina said, calming down. "Isn't that Daniel's business?"

"Oh don't you ever get tired, Wilhelmina?" Claire asked, lifting an eyebrow. "I've spoken to my son, and I think it's good for the two of you to avoid these dangerous situations. You never know what could happen. And this is hardly a safe place to be caught having sex on a desk."

Wilhelmina smirked. "Touchè."

"Anyway, I'm not here to talk about your sex life with my son. It was bad enough to have the details on your sex life with my husband."

"How did-"

"You think I don't have cameras in the house?" Claire cut her off. "But those are images I'd rather forget. Now, here are the papers for the match," she said quickly, handing her a stack of papers. "I'd like to have them back by the end of the week."

Claire turned to leave the office, but Wilhelmina cleared her voice and she stopped. "Claire…" Wilhelmina said, bewildered. "This is hardly '_for immediate release' _material. Why didn't you email them to me? Why didn't you…send someone?"

"There's one more thing…" Claire admitted, facing her again. "You might want to keep your things under closer observation."

"What is that supposed to mean?"

"Just…Don't leave pictures around the house. The wrong people might find them, and they might get the wrong idea. Like, us being friends."

Wilhelmina put two and two together and titled her head to the side, pursing her lips together. "What did he see?"

"Some old picture of the two of us. Back when you were still a human being," Claire told her.

"You mean, back when I was trying to warn you about your fake marriage?" Wilhelmina pointed out.

With a last glance Claire reached for the doorknob and unlocked the door going out. When the door was open, Wilhelmina yelled: "Get out!", strong enough that her voice echoed around the office, heard by the staff. Claire looked at her and Wilhelmina winked. A small smile curved the older woman's lips.


	18. Chapter 18

After Claire's visit to Elle, the rest of the week was relatively uneventful. It was now Friday night and Willie had never been happier to see the weekend arrive. She still had not been allowed in to see Robbie but Arnaud had spent plenty of time in her hospital room. Luckily he still didn't believe her insistence that it was Wilhelmina who landed her in there. Wilhelmina had Claire's words ringing in her head all week, she thought about the picture Daniel must have seen, which was why she was now sat on her bed, propped up against the headboard, her legs crossed at her ankles in front of her. The photo album was lying open on her knees; she looked at the picture as she took a sip from the glass of chilled wine in her hand. You didn't have to look closely at it to see that the two women taking up the majority of the frame were friends. Their glasses raised in the air, toasting each other and smiling. A real smile, one that reached the eyes, in the days before Botox and bitchiness had turned their smiles for each other into disdainful smirks.

She laughed dryly to herself as she remembered moments before that photograph was taken she had leaned over and whispered in Claire's ear about Fey's botched surgery and how her facial peel had made her look like a disgruntled, sunburnt gargoyle and the two had laughed uproariously.

'I thought I told you that key was for emergencies only?' She didn't look up from the book but she knew he was there.

He stepped over the threshold, a smile playing on his lips. 'Seeing through walls is one of the gifts they gave you when you sold your soul?' He said in a jocular tone.

'Yep, along with killing a man in one glance and perfect skin.' She allowed herself to look at him and took in how good he looked. He was obviously tired and had been running his hands through his hair, which was now dishevelled. He clearly hadn't shaved after leaving her apartment that morning and the resulting stubble made him look positively rugged. He had loosened his tie and the top two buttons of his shirt were undone.

'You're checking me out!' He laughed.

'I am not!'

'You are!'

She twisted her lips, trying not to smile at him. He started to walk towards her on the bed. As he approached she shut the photo album and opened her nightstand drawer to replace it. He stepped forward quickly and grabbed her wrist lightly. She stilled her movements and he took the album from her. He lay on the bed next to her, his head resting on her chest as he stretched out languidly. She sat beside him, relishing the weight of him pressed against her and absentmindedly found her hand running through his hair as he stared at the picture that had been the object of her study for the past hour.

'You were friends.' It was a statement, not a question. 'Why did neither of you ever tell me?'

He felt her shrug; 'What was the point? We aren't anymore.'

'Will you tell me now?'

'Why?'

'I want to know.' He replied simply.

She sighed. 'Back when I was a model...when I was being groomed to be Fey's second in command...I hated her. Fey, I mean. Everything I did she would criticise, everything I wore, every man I saw. Any praise I would get she would belittle and make me feel a fool.'

'That sounds familiar.' He chuckled against her.

She slapped his arm; 'You wanna hear this or not?'

She felt his head nod and continued. 'She was scared I was better than her, that I would usurp her. She wanted to keep me at Mode though, couldn't let a rival rag get me of course. Believe it or not, I didn't want to work at Mode to begin with. I was so desperate to get away from Fey Sommers, but she wouldn't let me go. It may be an old adage and completely cliché but it was a case of keep your friends close and your enemies closer.'

Daniel's hand trailed lazily along her leg as she spoke, she continued running her hands through the strands of his hair.

'Everyone at that place worshipped her, everyone except one. Claire hated her just as much as I did, more probably and she was the wife of the CEO, meaning she never had to take any of her crap. We bonded, as unlikely as it may seem to you. We weren't ever what Marc and Amanda would call "besties" but we understood each other, we respected each other and we knew that inside that building there was always someone you could talk to when Fey became just too God damn unbearable.'

'And then you told her about Fey and my father.' His voice was a whisper.

Wilhelmina's hand momentarily stopped moving over his scalp. 'She told you?' She sounded surprised as she resumed her movements.

'She did. There is something I don't understand though. I get that you were angry that she didn't believe you, especially considering she knew how you felt about Fey, but I don't get how it became so bad. Surely you can understand why she went into denial, who wants to believe that of the person they love?'

Wilhelmina sighed; her hand came down from stroking Daniel's hair and pointed to the photograph. 'You see that man?'

Daniel looked at the point of reference in the photograph, the profile of a man who was cut out by the edge of the photograph, his hand stretched out towards Willie.

'Yeah.' He answered, confused.

'That is Nico's father.' She paused when she heard him gasp. 'Shortly after this picture was taken, your mother and I stopped speaking and she had more power and savvy in this business than I had at the time and she made sure the few people I called friends turned their backs on me. A little after that I found out I was pregnant, suddenly the man you see in that picture "didn't do commitment" and fled to Dubai. I was young, pregnant and terrified and, thanks to your mother, alone. I've never been close to my parents and you know what my sister is like, Fey couldn't give a rat's ass...I had nobody to turn to, that's when I decided to count on nobody but myself. The one friend I had actually made inside the Meade building was the one person who made sure my life was hell while I carried my child and I've spent the better part of the last two decades punishing her for it.'

She fell silent and waited for Daniel to say something; when he didn't, she felt herself panic slightly. Was this too much? Claire was his mother after all; maybe she shouldn't have dumped all this on him. After what felt like an age, he shifted in the bed and turned his body towards her, his hand moving up from her leg to rest on her thigh. He tilted his head up and brought his lips to hers and kissed her slowly, lightly brushing his lips over hers. There were things said in that kiss that he couldn't find the words to say. He pulled away from her, keeping his face close. She smiled at him.

'I'm sorry.' His voice was low.

She shrugged; 'It's ancient history Daniel.'

'Thank you.'

'Thank you?'

He nodded; 'I think that's the first time you've ever opened up to me. I think you've just told me why you're you and I think...for the first time...I understand you.'

'God, you're corny.' She laughed and leaned forward again to kiss him. He rolled over further so he could deepen the kiss, pushing her against the mattress and trapping her with his arms. He came up for air and she lightly scraped the back of his neck with her nails.

'What makes you think you can be on top again?' She arched her brow at him.

'Oh please, you love it.' He teased, he moved to kiss her again but she pushed a hand to his chest, stopping him.

'Daniel, get off me.'

'Fine, you can be on top! God!'

She laughed and pushed him from her, 'It's not that. We have things to discuss.'

He sat up, looking worried. 'Us stuff?'

She smirked at his unease. 'No, bizarrely, I think "us" is okay.' He smiled at her use of the word "us". 'We still have Mode stuff to sort and I think we should before we get...distracted.'

'Okay, question though, would this distraction involve nudity?'

'Focus Daniel!' She snapped.

He sat up in the bed, next to her, propped up at the headboard. She got up from the bed and walked to her closet, talking to him over her shoulder. 'I need your assurance that Marc will come back in the same position he holds at Mode.'

'We've talked about this Willie. I told you, there isn't enough money to support that.'

'No, you talked about it, I told you to find it.' She began removing her jewellery, placing it on the table next to her closet and looking back at Daniel through the mirror.

'Willie, with you coming back, hiring Amanda as your assistant and my new assistant we simply can't afford to take on Marc as anything other than an assistant to an Editor.'

He watched as she began unbuttoning the fitted blouse she was wearing and caught a peek of her deep blue La Perla bra underneath. 'What if we share an assistant?'

He sat up further in the bed. 'Wilhelmina Slater, share?'

She rolled her eyes at him, 'We're sharing quite a lot of things at the moment, one more can't hurt.' She slipped the blouse from her body.

'That might work.'

'Good it's settled, Amanda will be the assistant to both Editors in Chief.' She reached around for the zipper of her skirt.

'Problem.'

She stopped sliding the zipper. 'What problem?'

'My new assistant, she's signed a two year contract this morning, I can't terminate her without due cause.'

She began sliding the zipper down again. 'So find due cause.'

He laughed. 'I can't do that Willie, I'm not you. She's a good kid.'

She let the skirt fall round her feet and Daniel stirred at the sight of her standing in only her underwear. He tried to concentrate on what she was saying. 'Fine then, Amanda will stay as the receptionist.'

'She'll be crushed.'

'It's unfortunate, and yes the girl has been useful in all this, but ultimately I care more for Marc's future.'

He nodded, 'I understand.' She began walking towards him; she picked up a piece of paper from the drawers and brought it with her. He drank in the sight of her moving across the room and reached for her, she batted him away. 'One more thing, look at this.'

He continued to stare at her. 'Oh I'm looking.'

She slapped his arm. 'Not this.' She said indicating her semi naked body. 'This!' She thrust the paper towards him.

He took it from her and read it quickly. 'It's a standard release form.'

She rolled her eyes. 'Stop thinking with your penis and read it properly.'

He read the document again and shrugged. 'It's a standard release form.' He repeated.

She smiled, 'So you don't notice anything different?'

'No why?'

'I had to have new papers drawn up by the legal department as Robbie is going to be 'recuperating' for a while and therefore no longer in charge.'

'And?'

'And...if you look closely at the small print, where it would usually give the rights over the prints, articles and such to the magazine, it's been changed. It's not in the magazines name...it's in mine.'

His head snapped up to meet hers. 'You mean..?'

She nodded and he saw a light shine in her eyes. 'From now until the day I leave for Mode, everything Elle does belongs to me...meaning I can take the content wherever I want.'

He laughed and she continued to smile at him. 'I'm going to give the whole issue to Mode.'

'You're a genius.' He said, eyes wide, staring at the document. It really was clever, nobody checks the small print on the release forms and in the very rare chance that they did it could be passed off as a simple clerical error.

He looked back up to her, the hunger in her eyes now apparent. She pushed at his shoulders until he lay on his back and she straddled him and immediately ripped at his shirt and attacked his lips with her own. He pulled back and let his hands roam over her back, unclasping her bra. She ground herself against him, making him groan and strain against his fabric confines.

'God, you weren't lying when you said ruining people made you horny.'

She reached her hand down and gripped him through his trousers. He moaned loudly at the contact.

He laughed through his arousal. 'Maybe we should take down Vogue too.'

xXx

Daniel woke when he felt the sun warming his face. Blinking his eyes open, adjusting to the light, he smiled as he felt the now familiar weight of Wilhelmina wrapped around him. He ran his hand along her arm that was draped over his waist and looked over to the clock.

'SHIT!' He swore loudly and sat up in the bed, causing Wilhelmina to roll off him and wake abruptly.

'What the hell?' She mumbled sleepily and rubbed her eyes.

'It's almost 8 o'clock! I set the alarm for five, I swear! I must have slept through it!' He pushed the sheets off him and jumped out the bed.

'You didn't. I turned it off.' She ran a hand through her sleep mussed hair.

'You what? But we agreed when I stayed I would be out at 5...so no one would see me go.'

She sat up in the bed, clutching the sheet to her body. 'Yeah we did, but you being seen isn't a problem if you don't leave.' She grinned.

He stopped rushing around the room, halfway through pulling up his pants. 'Oh really?' He smiled back.

'It's Saturday, no work today. Nowhere to go rushing off to...of course if you don't want to stay I can sneak you out the fire escape.'

He dropped his pants again and walked to the foot of the bed, smiling cockily. When he reached the base of the bed he reached under the covers until he felt her ankles. Smiling still, he pulled her legs, causing her to yelp as she slid down the bed on to her back. Lifting the sheet, he dove under it and began kissing up her body. As his head emerged from the sheet, to meet her face to face, she bit her lip as he leaned in to kiss her. As he pulled away, she placed a hand either side of his face and looked into his eyes.

'What are you thinking about?' She asked, suggestively.

'Marc and Amanda.'

Her hands fell from his face; 'Wow, you really know how to turn a girl on.' She deadpanned.

He chuckled and rolled off her, propping himself on his elbow facing her. 'It's just I don't like them not talking, Willie. It's like Regis with no Kelly, Penn with no Teller, Starsky with no...'

'I get it!'

He laughed again. 'Look, they never would have stopped speaking if they hadn't been drawn into our little game. They have done a lot for us, for our cause, and it's not just the two of them, Betty's stuck in the middle of all of this too. I think we need to help fix this.'

She rolled her eyes and groaned; 'Oh God Daniel, is this how it's going to be? Are you going to start making me do nice things?'

He laughed; 'Hey I'm good...but I'm not a miracle worker.' She narrowed her eyes at him. 'But I do know you care about Marc...and I think you should help your friend.'

She huffed and rolled onto her side to face him. 'Fine! What do you suggest "oh wise one"?'

'Well, we need to meet again to bring them up to speed with our latest developments, so we lock the three of them in a room until they sort all this out.'

She arched an eyebrow. 'That's it? That's your master plan? You would have been a terrible schemer.'

'Well, I don't hear you coming up with anything!' He complained.

She rolled her head on her shoulders. 'Fine, one problem though. We've been meeting at Marc's place. Amanda will not go there willingly.'

'Well I'll call her and Betty to meet at mine tonight and you bring Marc.'

'I was going to say I could hire a heavy to stick a hood over her head, throw her in a trunk and force her there...but your way works too.'

He laughed and rolled back over to her.

xXx

Daniel had left her apartment a little after 7 o'clock that evening. She knew it probably hadn't been the smartest move to let him stay in her apartment all day but she needed it. She needed time with him were they were not focussed solely on their plan. She needed to see if there was more than just their combined efforts to collapse Elle bringing them together. She twisted in her seat in the car and felt her muscles complain and knew she had her answer. She smirked as images from her day invaded her head.

'What's with the smile?'

She shook her head and inclined her head to look at Marc, sitting next to her in the back of the cab. He was squinting at her, lips in a thin line.

'I'm not smiling, I don't smile, Botox doesn't allow it.'

'Don't pretend with me Willie, I saw the state of your bedroom when you sent me in to get your stole. I know exactly why you're smiling.'

She allowed herself to smile and looked out the window. 'Fine then, I'm smiling because I spent all day getting reacquainted with muscles I forgot I had.'

'Yet again Willie...TMI.'

'You asked.'

He changed the subject. 'Why are we going to Daniel's anyway? Why didn't you guys come to my place as usual?'

She shrugged; 'We've been going there too often, more chance of being seen. We needed a change of scenery.'

'But I thought you said Daniel's building was too risky.'

'Well, he gave me a key to the service entrance.'

'But why...'

'Enough Marc! You know how I feel about you questioning my motives.'

He huffed. 'Sorry, as long as Amanda isn't there then I don't care where we meet. You're sure she isn't there?' He questioned.

'Amanda is not at Daniel's' She placated him.

In truth, she had called Amanda to ensure both she and Betty would be at Daniel's apartment that evening, she couldn't deal with a miserable Marc much longer, it was like looking at some of Betty's outfits, it made her head hurt. Not that she let it bother her too much but the girl had sounded distinctly out of sorts when Marc's name was mentioned.

'_Your little puppet won't be there will he?'_

'_If you mean Marc, then no, he is seeing Cliff tonight.'_

'_See, I knew you were lying! He hasn't been dating Cliff for over a year now!'_

'_Well that's where you're wrong; they met again at the Dior shoot. I don't know the whole story and quite frankly I don't care but all I know is that they speak now and he will be with him tonight.'_

'_Oh..he didn't...never mind. I'll be there.'_

The car pulled to a stop behind Daniel's building. Getting out, she wrinkled her nose at the stench of the bins outside it. 'Dear God, Giuliani didn't clean the streets, he just moved all the filth here!' Marc snickered as she opened the door to the back of the building.

The rode up on the elevator and walked to Daniel's door, Willie knocked on it and Daniel answered right away. 'Hey.' He smiled and ushered them in, closing the door.

Marc stood between the two of them, looking from one to the other and saw them staring at each other. He rolled his eyes. 'Oh for God sake, I'll go to the living room.' He walked away and smiled as he heard the tell tale smack of lips as Daniel kissed her hello.

Moments later they joined him in Daniel's lounge. 'You finished macking on each other?'

'For now.' Daniel smirked and Willie kicked his shin.

'So you wanna tell me what the dealio is? What's our next move?'

'Not yet.'

'Why?' As the word left his mouth there was a knock at the door. Daniel left to answer it. 'Who is that? Willie WHO is that?!'

Daniel came back in the room and the blonde girl following him stopped dead in her tracks. 'YOU!' they chorused. Marc rounded on Willie.

'You said she wouldn't be here!'

'I lied...you're surprised?!' She asked incredulously.

Marc straightened his jacket and lifted his head in the air, he began to walk out the room when Wilhelmina's hand shot out and caught his arm in a vice like grip. 'Hold it right there.'

'Willie, let me go. You can't expect me to stay in the same room as her, when she betrayed me like that!'

'Marc, I betrayed Daniel more often than I've had my eyebrows waxed and we still managed to co-exist in the same room to work together. That's all I'm asking you to do.'

'Asking?'

'Telling.'

Marc shook his arm from her grip and leaned onto the back of the couch. Amanda walked to the other side of the room, revealing Betty standing behind her.

'Oh good, the whole gang is here.' Marc drawled.

'Marc.' Willie warned, and he rolled his eyes at her rebuking.

Daniel clapped his hands together loudly. 'Okay, business guys. Wilhelmina has got us a way to ensure we have control over Elle's content, she's really topped herself.'

'Is that a compliment?' Betty asked, earning her a glare. Daniel chuckled.

'The new release forms that have been drawn up exclude Robbie and name Wilhelmina as sole owner of all content contained in those forms. The trademark of Elle has also been removed meaning they belong to her personally. When she and Marc leave for Mode they are bringing almost a full issue with them. Now obviously we will still be working on our own issue so as not to arouse suspicion and to cover ourselves if anything goes wrong, but this is a major coup, and it is the final move for us. Once this is over, it will be common knowledge what we have done. Every single one of us will come under fire for this. It will get very ugly; I need you all to be prepared for that.'

The three of them nodded; Betty looked distinctly nervous at the prospect. Willie noticed this and turned to the girl. 'Betty, it will be okay. The focus will be primarily on myself and Daniel. Your role has been minimal. We're just giving you a heads up, okay?'

Betty nodded and smiled slightly. Willie looked at Daniel who was smiling broadly at her. 'What?' Willie demanded.

Daniel shook his head. 'Thought you didn't do nice?' She rolled her eyes.

Amanda took a step into the middle of the room. 'Is that it? Can I get away from here now?' Her anger was evident as she stood; hand on hip, glaring at the back of Marc's head.

Wilhelmina sighed; 'Not yet, there's something else you should know Amanda.' Willie looked to Daniel and he nodded.

'Due to our return to Mode...and Marc's new position at the magazine...' She hesitated.

'Yeah?' Amanda pressed her, nervously.

'There is not enough money in the budget for Daniel and I to both have assistants. Daniel's new girl is under contract and firing her would cost us greatly.'

'What are you saying?' She already knew the answer.

'You can't be my assistant Amanda. There is no promotion for you.'

All eyes looked to Amanda, except Marc who still refused to turn around. 'Wait...so I get nothing out of this?! I stayed at Mode out of loyalty, I helped put this whole thing in motion as Robbie's assistant and I'm out so HE can get in!?'

Daniel took a step forward; 'We're sorry, truly we are. Look at most it's for two years and then my assistant can be released from her contract and the job will be 100% yours.'

Amanda shook her head. Her eyes were wet and her voice weak. 'I can't believe this, I've been helping you both from the beginning...and I get stabbed in the back.'

'Hurts, doesn't it?' Marc whispered, still not facing her.

'Oh screw you!' She marched past him and Betty saw a tear fall as she passed, spinning round to follow her, she ran to the hallway and caught her, pulling her into Daniel's bedroom. Amanda sat on the edge of the bed and let her tears fall freely. 'Why Betty? Why is it always me that gets dumped on? They don't think I'm capable.'

'No! Listen to me Amanda, I can't speak for Wilhelmina but I do know Daniel. He would never think that of you, he means it when he says you're next in line. You've just got to give it time.'

She let out a mirthless laugh; 'Time? Time Betty? I've been a receptionist there for SIX YEARS, how much more time before the let me do something more complex that answering calls and ordering post-its?'

Betty looked at her friend sadly.

Back in the living room Willie and Daniel stared at Marc, still leaning on the couch.

'What?' He snapped at them.

'That is your friend and she is hurting. Go in there.' Daniel ordered him.

'You don't get to boss me about.'

'No but I do, get your ass in there!' Willie barked.

'Why do you care?'

She groaned in annoyance; 'I don't but you do! Just go in there and sort this all out. You should have never spilled your guts to her, in the first place, but I'm not freezing you out, am I?'

Marc shook his head. 'I'm going home. I'll deal with Mandy when I want to deal with her, not when you say I do.'

Willie looked at Daniel who sighed and nodded at her. She quickly stepped forward and grabbed Marc by the ear, digging her nails in painfully, behind it. Marc yelped and jumped from the couch, bending to the side as she kept the pressure on his ear. She started walking and he had no choice but to follow as she moved out the room, Daniel following them. Getting close to Daniel's room now she gave his ear one final pinch and pushed him inside. Daniel slammed the door shut behind him and turned the key he had deliberately left on the outside of the door for this very occasion, and smiled.

'I'm bleeding!' Marc shouted from behind the door.

'Well I broke a nail! Don't make it for nothing!' Willie shouted back.

Daniel laughed as they made their way back to his living room. He stopped, causing her to walk into him, and turned around, leaving only inches between them.

'So...' He began.

'So...'

'The three of them are going to be at it for a while and they can't get out 'til we let them out. How do you suggest we pass the time?'

'Why Daniel Meade, I hope you're not suggesting I let you seduce me while our employees are in the next room with very thin walls?' She leaned closer to him.

He smiled; 'I might be.' He moved forward to capture her lips and she groaned at the contact. Her hands went straight for his belt buckle as he pushed his hips against hers and his hands went to her ass.

'Do you two just wait until I'm around to do this?'

They flew apart at the sound of the voice and saw Claire standing there with a look of amusement mixed with revulsion.

'Or do you just wait until we're getting into it, to show up?' Willie countered.

'Play nice.' Daniel warned.

xXx

In Daniel's bedroom Marc still stood close to the door, arms crossed over his chest with one arm gingerly reaching up to cradle his bruised and bleeding ear. Amanda remained at her position on the bed, trying to stop herself crying in front of Marc but every now and then taking in a hiccupping breath. Betty sat next to her, one arm draped around her shoulder in an attempt to comfort her, all the while glaring at Marc. Marc saw her staring and threw his hands up in the air.

'Stop looking at me like that! I might have known you'd be on her side anyway!

She stood up; 'I am not on anyone's side! This is ridiculous, you two are best friends and Amanda didn't even do anything wrong, she did the right thing and it's all worked out anyway!'

'That doesn't matter! I told her that in confidence and she betrayed it...for Daniel.' He finished sheepishly.

'Wait...is that was this is about? Daniel?'

Marc let out a loud snort; 'Well what do you think? Since I've left for Elle we've been slipping further and further apart while she stayed at Mode. She's been working along-side you and Daniel and you've taught her how to be...moral.' He shuddered.

Amanda sniffed loudly; 'You think you're losing me to Daniel? What about you and Wilhelmina?'

Marc looked directly at Amanda for the first time being stuck in that room. 'What?'

'You've always been her little pet but now...you're closer to her than you are to me. You're not just her employee or lackey anymore. You're her friend, she knows stuff about you that even I don't and I know everything about you, even about the time you caught mono because you kissed...'

'Okay!' He shouted cutting her off. 'Why can't you see that you hurt me Mandy?'

'I do and I'm sorry...but I would do it again. Daniel deserved to know.'

Marc sighed. 'He did, you're right but had Willie not been in a relationship with him and had to sort her own mess out because you spilled to him...Mandy she could have fired me, I could have lost everything.'

Amanda stood up; 'Marc, she would never fire you. For one, you have far too much dirt on her and for another...she cares about you. She won't admit it but why else would she lock you in this room with me?'

Marc softened slightly. 'I guess I just have to accept the fact that we've changed...we're never going to be the same as we were. We've grown.'

Amanda laughed; '_We've _grown? It's not just us Marc; Betty is working to help ruin a magazine...BETTY!' She emphasized, 'And are you forgetting that right now Daniel and Wilhelmina, you know the people who were in danger of a homicide if they were left alone together, are now more than likely getting busy on Daniel's sofa?'

Marc chuckled.

'We've all changed Marc, it doesn't mean I don't love you.'

Marc smiled at Amanda, he inhaled deeply and roughly pushed Betty to the side, causing her to hit the wall, and crushed Amanda to him in a hug.

'I'm sorry.'

'No I'm sorry.'

'No I'm...'

'You're both sorry!' Betty yelled.

Marc released Amanda from his grip, 'I'm sorry about the assistant's job, I could tell...'

'No Marc, whatever you're going to suggest giving up for me, don't. I think we'll survive much better together as friends from now on if we keep the professional out of it.'

'Aw sweetie, you think you're professional.' He grinned.

'And anyway, it's only for two years right? Besides...you deserve it.' She smiled and he hugged her again.

'Aww...you guys!' Betty squeaked, welling up. Marc and Amanda faced her and rolled their eyes at each other.

'Way to ruin a moment Suarez!' Marc berated her.

'I know right...she always makes it about her...so self absorbed.'

Betty smiled. Marc and Amanda were insulting her, things were back to normal.

xXx

Daniel was returning from the bathroom and hid round the side of his kitchen door, listening to the two women inside.

'Did you pay heed to what I said to you in your office?' Claire asked her.

'Regarding?'

'The photograph.'

Daniel could hear the sound of his espresso machine brewing and nails drumming on his marble counter. 'No.' She answered honestly.

He heard a hand being slammed down on the counter. 'Damn it Wilhelmina, I asked you to keep quiet about our past.'

'Look, he asked me...and I think I've kept too many secrets from him during our previous relationship don't you?'

'So you told him...what?'

'Everything, at least everything from my side.'

'Wonderful, trying to turn my son against me.'

The sound of another slam on the counter reached his ears. 'I am not. Whether you want to admit this or not he is important to me now and you're important to him...so I guess I'm going to have to make nice. I'm not going to fuck this up, you know?'

He heard his mother sigh; 'Okay...I guess I can keep my peace until this _thing _has run its course.'

'And if it doesn't?'

'Are you trying to tell me you're serious about Daniel?'

Daniel held his breath while he waited for her answer, he heard her clear her throat. 'Do you really think I would bother with all this drama if I wasn't?'

His mother scoffed, 'Please, drama is like nectar to you, you thrive on it and don't answer my question with a question.'

'Fine then...yes, I'm serious about him.'

'And is he serious about you too?'

'I don't know; ask him, he's right outside the door.'

'I know, he really is the worst hider. His deep breathing always gives him away.'

Daniel rounded the corner looking like a child caught drawing on the walls and saw the two women in his life look at him in amusement.

'Well?' His mother questioned him.

He nodded, 'I am.'

'Well then, I don't have a choice, do I? I'm watching you though.' This was directed at Wilhelmina.

'I don't doubt it.' She smirked.

Daniel smiled, thankful to his mother, knowing she could have made this extremely difficult for them. He supposed it was because she knew that he now knew just how this whole fiasco between Willie and the Meade's had begun. No matter the reason though, he was just glad that she wouldn't stand in their way. He walked into the room just as his mother reached for a bottle of wine. Willie grabbed it from her. 'No, that's why I put the espresso machine on.' She walked to the machine and poured three espresso's handing one to Daniel and one to a bemused Claire, she looked at the quizzical expression on the older woman's face.

'Drop the face Claire, I'm dating your son...I need to at least pretend to care for your well being.'

Claire laughed and raised the small cup in a mock toast. Daniel was still smiling like a kid who just had his training wheels removed and it became even wider when he heard her refer to them as "dating". His smile fell slightly as he strained his ears. 'Do either of you hear banging?'

The two woman listened in the apartment and heard the unmistakeable sound of banging from somewhere in the apartment. 'Oh!' Daniel exclaimed and left the room.

'What was that?' Claire asked.

'Marc, Amanda and Betty are locked in Daniel's bedroom.'

'Do I want to know why?'

'Not for any sick reason you've concocted in that gin warped mind of yours.'

Claire laughed; 'What happened to making nice for Daniel's sake?'

'There's only so much I can accomplish. Anyway, why give up something we both enjoy so much?'

'Here here!' Claire concurred. The two women raised their glasses to each other.

'Aww...you guys!' They turned to the door to see four pairs of eyes staring back at them. The teary words had come from Betty, echoing her earlier statement to Marc and Amanda. Willie rolled her eyes. 'Daniel, sort her out will you? I take it you and Amanda are back in your own brand of puppy love again, Marc?'

Marc and Amanda nodded, arms round each other's shoulders, grinning. Betty looked from the two of them, back to Claire and Willie and her eyes watered again as she smiled broadly.

'Oh for the love of God!' Willie moaned.

'What...It's just...this is the first time I think we have all got on!' She said in a teary voice.

'Yes I know.' Willie agreed. 'It's disgusting, isn't it?'


	19. Chapter 19

**19.**

The accounting department of Elle magazine was not in the same building as the magazine's offices. Nerds and fashionistas hardly met each other, except for the monthly meetings set by the Editor-in-Chief. That's why Wilhelmina Slater narrowed her eyes when she saw Jimmy Gollum stepping out of the elevator, that morning.

She watched him carefully as he took in the surroundings, looking like a fish out of water with his light blue sweater and a pair of white trousers. He straightened his black rimmed glasses on his nose and tried to stop a girl passing by, but she barely took notice of him.

Wilhelmina raised a hand to stop the woman she was talking to, and walked up to the accountant, determinedly. The man saw her and she saw his hands start shaking.

"May I help you?" she asked, putting on her best plastic smile.

"Miss Slater, I'm-"

"I didn't ask who you were, I know that," she cut him off. "I asked if there's anything I can do, a more polite way to ask you what the hell you're doing up here, instead of being in your dark little office in Brooklyn."

The man swallowed loudly. "I- I need you-"

"Stop babbling, please?"

"There's something wrong with the last issue."

Wilhelmina bit her bottom lip and looked at the people who were surrounding them, everyone trying to look busy, but clearly eavesdropping on the conversation. She placed a hand on the man's arm and led him out of the hall, along a corridor and straight into her office. She closed the door and locked it. When she turned again to look at the man, she noticed how terrified he was.

"Relax, I'm not going to hurt you," she said, quickly going round the desk and smoothing her skirt, sitting down on the armchair. "Please, sit down," she added, seeing the man was standing in the middle of the room, petrified.

He sat down and placed a few papers on her desk.

"Now tell me," Wilhelmina started, slowly. "What is the problem?"

The truth was she already knew. She had hoped it would take a little more time to notice. Those morons at Mode had never found out how she really spent the _extras _while shooting on location, except for that time where Betty Suarez and that annoying Henry-something had found out about her butt-lift.

"You see, I was going through the legal permissions for this month's issue, and I noticed something weird," he said, nervously touching the rim of his glasses. "The pictures, the articles, everything actually… We don't own it."

Wilhelmina pursed her lips and closed her eyes, taking a deep breath and snatching the papers from the accountant's hands. She scanned it quickly, and immediately she found it.

_Property of: Wilhelmina Slater._

She put the paper back down, and leaned back against the back of the chair, studying the man's features change slowly in realization.

"That's not a mistake, is it?" he asked. "I mean, you did it."

Wilhelmina just stood there, looking at him. She wasn't trying to intimidate him, no. She was really thinking of a way to get out of that crap sandwich.

"Miss Slater, may I ask you why?" Jimmy asked, concern evident in her voice.

Wilhelmina sighed and opted for the only road she could take. "Jimmy, listen to me, and listen to me carefully."

She got up and circled the desk. She stood behind Jimmy, and placed a hand on his shoulder. The man was shaking, again.

"This is a very important matter. I would hate it if there were to be any inconveniences. All I'm trying to do is do the best for the magazine. I'm sure you know Robbie is not in her right mind, and she owns half the _Elle _name. Changing it to my name was merely a way to…How can I say? I guess I could call it damage control. You never know what someone with her problems might do, even from rehab. I preferred to transfer everything to me, to be sure she can't get her hands on the data. Lord knows what she could do."

The man turned on the chair and looked up at her. She smiled kindly and nodded her head. "You understand what I'm saying, Jimmy, don't you? It's for our own sake. I'm the one in charge now, and I have to keep everything under control."

Jimmy didn't seem sure of what the woman was saying, but he nodded. Wilhelmina took a step back, allowing him the space to stand up and collect the papers he had brought in. After doing that, he turned and nodded his head towards her. She moved back to the door and unlocked it, opening it for him. When he was on the threshold, however, she stopped him.

"Jimmy," she whispered. "It would be extremely appreciated if you could keep this to yourself. It is very important, because we don't know who's on Robbie's side, and we don't know who to trust. Can _I _trust _you _with this?"

The man nodded, clearly eager to leave the room. She smiled and let him go. She watched his back as he walked away, until he turned the corner and was out of sight. She snorted and slammed the door, placing her hands on her hips and tapping her foot on the floor. She bit her bottom lip, again, thinking hard and fast. She could _not _trust the man, and she had to act fast. What she needed was him to trust her.

She ran to her desk and picked up the receiver, dialing a number.

"Delta Airlines, good morning, how can I help you?"

"Good morning," she blurted out. "I need to fly to Los Angeles. This afternoon."

She smirked. It was time to pay Robbie a little visit.

***

"Where are you going, exactly?"

Daniel looked at her, with his mouth slightly agape, watching her as she walked back and forth in the room, grabbing stuff and throwing it inside her handbag.

"Don't be a pain, Daniel," she said, shoving a red scarf in her bag. "I need to go, and you know it. We are on the verge of a crisis, here. Besides, it's only for today, I'll be back tonight."

He pouted.

"Oh, for God's sake, stop doing that," she exclaimed, placing the bag on the bed. She walked up to him, cupped his face and pulled him down, kissing him. She nibbled his bottom lip for the briefest moment, and then pulled away, running towards the bed and grabbing her bag.

He followed her to the entrance door and she put on her sunglasses. On the threshold, she turned to him. "Ok, I'm going. Now, remember, be careful when you get out, don't call anyone from here, and don't snoop around. I'll know, I have cameras."

"You have cameras?" he asked, incredulous.

"Of course, how do you think I rewatch our performances when you're not available?" she whispered, and he found himself grinning from ear to ear at the idea. "I'll see you tonight," she added.

"Bye," he said, sadly.

She disappeared inside the elevator and he closed the door, walking back inside her apartment. He looked round and sighed. That place was too big without her. He could leave now, or he could stay. He took out his phone from his pocket and dialed a familiar number.

"Daddy Dan!" Amanda shrieked into the phone, so loudly that he had to move the device away from his ear. "How can I help?"

"Uhm…Look, are you with Marc? Or Betty?" he asked.

"As a matter of fact yes, I am with Betty," she confirmed. "But that doesn't mean we're friends!"

"Are you busy?" he asked, tentatively. "I mean, I'm here in Wilhelmina's apartment, and she's out for the day, and I don't really have anything to do, so I thought you might…I don't know, drop by? Bring food, and just hang with me?"

"Aw," Amanda exclaimed. "You're feeling lonely without Mummy!"

"Amanda, you're creeping me out," came Betty's voice from the background.

"Ok, Daniel, Taco Betty and Pretty Mandy are coming to rescue from your state of solitude," she said. "But I want extra compensation for this. Or maybe, I could join you and the evil Vampyra in you sandbox!"

"Sorry, I'm afraid the sandbox is VIP only," Daniel said, chuckling at the gasp coming from Amanda.

"Are you saying I'm not VIP?"

"I'll see you in a bit," he concluded, disconnecting the call.

***

Wilhelmina hated time differences. She just hated that she had to count to remember what time it was for the person she was calling. The car was driving through the amazing landscape of Rancho Mirage, headed to the _Betty Ford Center._ When they reached the big, white structure, she got out and looked up, taking in the immensity of the place. Now she knew why celebrities chose this place. It was hardly a clinic, and more like a five-stars hotel.

She walked to the big entrance door and it slid open with a ding. She stepped over the threshold and looked around. She was in a big white room, with black couches in a corner, and a big black circular desk in the middle. A seemingly busy blonde woman, dressed in a perfectly tailored deep green suit was talking on the phone.

Wilhelmina approached the desk and drummed her fingers on the surface, catching the girl's attention, who lifted a finger and kept talking on the phone for a minute. She put the receiver down and turned to Wilhelmina.

"Is it you or a friend?"

"What?" Wilhelmina asked, confused.

"Are you here on your own decision, or are you committing someone?" the girl explained.

"Oh," Wilhelmina exclaimed and shook her head. "No, I'm not…I'm a visitor."

"I need your name, please," the girl told her. "And I need you sign this form."

Wilhelmina signed everything she had to and handed the papers back to the receptionist. "Who are you visiting?"

"Robbie Meyers."

"Miss Meyers is out in the garden for a therapy session. You can follow the corridor and wait until she's done."

Wilhelmina nodded and did as told, walking determinedly along the white corridor. When she reached its end, she opened a door and was immediately blinded by the sunlight. She brought a hand up to her eyes, to shield herself, and smiled looking at the beautiful landscape. A man dressed in white came up to her almost immediately.

"The therapy session has already begun, but I'm sure Andrew will not complain," he said, smiling.

She rolled her eyes. "I'm not a patient, I'm a _visitor. _Do I look like a junkie?"

The man stepped back, looking her up and down, and he chuckled. "I'm sorry Ma'am; you may wait for your friend over there." He pointed at a spot nearby, in the shadow of a huge oak, where a few white armchairs were placed in circle. She smiled and walked to the area, sitting down and sighing in the fresh breeze. She stared into the distance, immediately finding the group of people sat on the grass. She chuckled, at the idea of Robbie sitting on the grass, forced to talk about problems she didn't really have. She felt bad for a second, but that quickly passed, changing into hilarity.

Half an hour went by, and just as she was starting to grow impatient the people she'd been looking at stood up, waving goodbye to the man who, she guessed, had been helping them through the therapy process. She smirked, recognizing Robbie in a plain white shirt and a pair of jeans. She was walking defeated, her hands in her pockets, her eyes looking down. The man who had welcomed Wilhelmina approached her and motioned to the spot where Wilhelmina was sitting. Robbie turned around and saw her.

Wilhelmina smiled, her stare behind the sunglasses fixed on the woman walking towards her. She was glad they were alone. As Robbie drew closer, Wilhelmina started to make out the features on her face, and she was surprised to see she was smiling. A few meters, and Robbie stood in front of her.

"Wilhelmina," she said. "What a surprise."

"Is it?" Wilhelmina asked, provocative. She took off her sunglasses and smirked. "How's it going, dear?"

Robbie sat down on the armchair opposite her, the smile fading quickly, replaced by an uneasy hardness in her eyes. "Why are you here?"

"Why are you so rude?" Wilhelmina asked, in a poorly hidden amusement. "I just wanted to see how you were doing. You know, I was so hurt when I heard you didn't want me to visit you in the hospital."

"I'm sorry, I guess I was afraid you would try and spill arsenic in my I.V."

Wilhelmina smiled at the rookie attempt. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"Of course you don't," Robbie said, smirking. "What do you want Wilhelmina? You already sent me over here, you managed to have Arnaud on your side somehow, you have Elle. What more could you possibly want?"

"You're right," Wilhelmina answered, reaching for something into her handbag. She took out a bottle of water and handed it to the woman in front of her. "Want some?"

Robbie looked down at the bottle, smirking in realization. "I've been so stupid," she said, shaking her head. "I can't believe you would go to such lengths to push my away. Silly me, I thought I was any different from Daniel Meade, but I was wrong. I was just another obstacle in your way, wasn't I? Just another small hindrance in your path."

Wilhelmina licked her lips and tiled her head. "I guess that means you don't want water," she said, not really answering Robbie's questions. She put the water back in her bag and placed it on an armchair nearby. "I love your jeans. The rehab look really does look amazing on you. Must be the dark circles under your eyes. Can't use make up, can you?"

Robbie stood up and turned to leave when Wilhelmina called after her. She turned around one last time to look at the woman who had ultimately screwed up everything she'd worked for.

Wilhelmina raised an eyebrow. "I'll see you at Elle in a few months, then," she whispered, standing up too, and taking a step closer. She lowered her voice dangerously and smirked. "That is if Elle is still there."

In the blink of an eye, Robbie threw herself on Wilhelmina, both falling on the grass. Robbie straddled her, grabbing her by the wrists and blocking her. Wilhelmina tried to move but Robbie was faster, pulling at her hair.

"SECURITY!" Wilhelmina screamed.

"You're not gonna ruin my magazine, Wilhelmina!" Robbie yelled in her face. They heard voices drawing closer, and Robbie turned to see a whole bunch of people running up to their spot. When they got there, two men grabbed Robbie by her arms and pulled her off Wilhelmina. Robbie started kicking furiously, twisting and trying to break free, but the men's grip was too strong.

"STAY AWAY FROM ELLE, YOU HEAR ME WILHELMINA!?" she kept yelling while the two guards dragged her away. "GET YOUR HANDS OFF MY MAGAZINE!"

Wilhelmina propped herself up and one of the paramedics helped her get up. "Are you ok, Miss?" he asked her.

"Yes," she said, out of breath. She massaged her neck, thanking the man. "I'll go now," she said, grabbing her bag.

On her way back, she couldn't hide the huge smirk on her face. Her phone beeped and she read the text message.

_From: 123  
To: WS  
Text: Got it._

***

Meanwhile, in New York City, a very unlikely group sat around Wilhelmina Slater's desk, in her apartment. Marc and Daniel were looking through her emails, trying to find something compromising and funny to tease her with, while Amanda and Betty were sitting on the couch, nearby, looking at a collection of Wilhelmina's covers. Every time Betty would turn the page, Amanda let out a little squeal and she would tell Daniel how lucky he was, and insisted on asking to let her "play in their sandbox."

No matter how much Daniel ignored her, she never stopped.

Suddenly, a loud beeping sound echoed inside the room.

_Unread e-mail_

Daniel looked at Marc, grinning with a childish expression. Marc clicked on the unread email and it opened a new window on the screen.

_From: Entertainment Tonight  
Subject: Interview Schedule  
Miss Slater, we just got the news of your attack. We would like to schedule an interview to talk about it. Please, reply as soon as possible.  
The ET Staff._

Daniel frowned. "What are they talking about?" he asked, unable to take his eyes off the screen. Marc shook his head, staring at the words. Another beep followed closely, and Marc opened the other email that had just arrived.

_From: Fashion TV  
Subject: (no subject)  
Wilhelmina, what happened!? Are you ok? Of course you NEED to give me an exclusive interview!  
Suzuki St. Pierre_

"Ok, this is weird," Marc stated as a few other beeps invaded the room. He closed the account and opened the browser. He typed Wilhelmina's name quickly and immediately the results came back, showing a dozen links published only few minutes before.

Daniel read the title of the first on the list, "_Wilhelmina Slater viciously attacked"_, and without even stopping to read it he stood up and ran to the other room. When he came back he had his cell phone against his ear, and a concerned expression. Amanda and Betty stopped looking at the pictures and understood something was wrong.

"What's going on?" Betty asked Marc, but the man had a light smile on his face, reading something on the screen.

Amanda looked at his friends and walked up to him, reading the same thing he was reading. "Marc, why are you smiling? This picture is awful."

"What picture?" Betty asked, springing to his feet and circling the desk. "Oh my God!" she exclaimed, seeing the picture. "Are those..?"

"Robbie and Wilhelmina, our ladies of Fashion, rolling on the green grass and pulling at each other's hair," Marc completed the sentence for her, still smirking. "She's SO good."

Daniel tapped his foot on the floor impatiently, and when he heard her voice on the other hand he sighed in relief. "Thank GOD!" he exclaimed. "What the hell happened? Are you ok?"

"Yes, I'm ok," she said, whispering. "I'll explain when I'm back in New York. I'm about to catch a flight just now."

"Alright," he said, disconnecting the call. He turned to the three others, and nodded. "She's fine, apparently there's something she has to explain when she comes back."

"Of course she does," Marc stated, clicking absentmindedly on the screen. "Come on, you've known her for ages now, and you still can't recognize the typical and basic _Wilhelmina Slater scheming_?"

"You mean this was…"

"Of course it was set up," he exclaimed. "I mean, Robbie probably doesn't have a clue, but how do you think paparazzi could have taken a picture in a place so packed with security such as the _Ford _Clinic? Of course there was someone behind it. And that someone has gorgeous mocha skin and long legs."

Daniel, Amanda and Betty all looked at him, their mouth open.

"You know, Daniel, you might be sleeping with her, but you still have a LOT to learn," the young Editor told him, smirking. "You really think she would ever let something like this be leaked if she didn't want it? Come on, these are basilar showbiz notions."

Hours later, they were all sitting around the table in the huge dining room, when they heard the key turn in the keyhole. The door opened and Wilhelmina came in with a satisfied expression. Marc got up first and walked up to her; once he was within reach, she threw her coat and bag on his arms and smiled at him.

"How was Los Angeles?" he asked, lifting his eyebrows.

"Agitated, as per usual," she replied, walking further inside the apartment and reaching the table. She placed her hands over Daniel's shoulder and squeezed them lightly. He looked up and smiled at her.

"You mind explaining what's going on?"

"Oh, that," she said, waving her hand. "Nothing really, that was me handling a crisis."

"And you usually fly all over the country to handle a crisis?" Betty asked.

Wilhelmina narrowed her eyes at the girl. "It was a bad crisis."

She pulled a chair next to Daniel's and sat down; he circled her shoulder and placed a kiss on her temple.

"That was creepy," Amanda said.

Marc came back into the room after discarding Wilhelmina's clothes and sat back at the table. They sat there in comfortable silence, Daniel leaning into Wilhelmina and whispering something into her ear, eliciting a few smirks from the woman.

A loud ring interrupted the silence, and Wilhelmina spun around, staring at her bag, that Marc had left on the couch.

"Aren't you gonna answer it?" Daniel asked.

Wilhelmina took a deep breath and stood up, walking across the room and reaching for the handbag. She took out the cell phone and stared at the screen.

"Perfect," she whispered, smiling. She brought the device to her ear and her smile grew wider. "Jimmy Gollum!" she exclaimed. "Why are you calling me this late? It's way past office time."

"I'm sorry Miss Slater," came the shaky voice from the other hand. "I just heard about the news."

"Oh, well…As I told you earlier today, Robbie Meyers is a real danger for our company right now," she said. "Still, I'm her friend, and I'll try anything to help her. Unfortunately she doesn't seem to want me to."

"I see, Miss Slater," he said. "I fully understand the importance of this, and I promise I won't tell a soul about the transfer. I have your back."

"Thank you, Jimmy," she said, and she disconnected the call. She threw her Blackberry back onto the couch and turned to the three four people at the table; they were all looking at her in bewilderment, except for Marc whose chin was placed on his hands.

"Crisis averted," she exclaimed with a huge smile.

Marc sighed loudly, and in a dreamy tone, he added: "I would love to be her for one day."

***

As they laid in bed, later that night, Daniel slid his hand casually up and down her arm. Her naked body, under the sheets, moved slightly against his. He smiled, shaking her to wake her up. She opened her eyes lazily and looked up at him. "Why are you awake?" she asked, her voice still groggy.

He pulled at her arm and she moved her body so that she was standing above him. With her chin on his chest she looked up at him, while he traced the line of her spine. "What's bothering you?" she asked.

"Amanda."

She raised an eyebrow and lifted her head. "Excuse me?"

Noticing the change in her tone, he chuckled. "You got that totally wrong," he said, looking down at her and smiling. "It's the whole promotion thing."

She sighed and put her head down, with her cheek against his skin. "Look, Daniel, it's not like we can do anything about this. I mean, I would tell you screw the contract and fire the girl you just hired, but you're too good for that."

"That would be unfair. And she would sue, I'm sure of that," he said, shaking his head. "It's not that, and you know it."

"I know nothing."

"Wilhelmina."

"Stop it, ok?" she said, rolling off him and moving to the other edge of the bed, as far as she could go. He tried to reach for her but she slapped his hand away. "I know what you're implying, and I'm not going to listen to that."

"Wilhelmina, come back here," he said.

"No," she snapped, folding her arms and snorting. He narrowed his eyes and she narrowed hers.

"Ok, fine, stay wherever you want, but you're going to listen," he exclaimed, sitting up and leaning against the headboard. "Willie, I know you love Marc. And Marc loves you. But you're acting like those parents who are afraid to let their children move out and build a life of their own only because they're scared they'll never see them again. And that's stupid."

"That's stupid," she exclaimed, pulling the sheet against her and sitting up too. "And you know why? Because I didn't tell him to refuse the job at Dior. He turned it down without consulting me!"

"If he had, would you have told him to accept it?" he asked.

She pursed her lips. "That's not what we're talking about."

"See? That's exactly the problem!" he exclaimed. "Wilhelmina, Amanda belongs at Mode."

"Marc does too!"

"No, Marc belongs to the fashion industry. You're holding him back!"

"What?" she snapped. "I'm not holding him back! He's the one who refused the job!"

"But he did it for YOU!"

Wilhelmina looked away, and Daniel knew he had hit a nerve. He scooted closer to her, cupped her face, turning her head so that she was facing him. "Willie, you know what you have to do, right? It's in Marc and Amanda's best interests."

"I can't let him go, Daniel," she whispered. "He's…he's like a…"

"A son?" he finished the sentence for her, looking into her eyes. She sighed and nodded. He leaned in and kissed her. "Take a little time and think about it. You know it'll only take you a call to fix things."

"Can we talk about something else now?" she said, lifting an eyebrow.

He smirked wickedly. "Oh, I have a few ideas," he said, and he laid back against the mattress and dragged her with him.


	20. Chapter 20

_Authors Note : Okay guys, the day we didn't want to come is here. I really have nothing else to say that hasn't already been said about this show. It will be hugely missed and I can't imagine not scouring the net for sneaks, photos, cast interviews, not forgetting podcasts of course. All these stars will move on to brilliant things I'm sure, but none will recreate the magic they brought when they were together. I'm sure I speak for both of us when I say that we will continue to keep UB and Danimina going on ffnet for a long time to come._

_R.I.P. Ugly Betty 2006 – 2010_

Marc and Amanda were sitting on his couch; she was sitting in the middle with him sat beside her, twisted round with his legs draped over her lap, her hands drumming a beat on his legs.

'Why didn't you tell me about you and Cliff?' There was no accusatory tone in her voice, just genuine interest. 'I mean, it happened before we stopped speaking.'

He shrugged and looked down, smiling coyly. 'I don't know...I guess I just didn't want to jinx it.'

'But you told Wilhelmina.'

He snorted, 'Yeah but she doesn't care, I only told her because she asked where I was. I didn't seek her out to tell her or anything.'

'That doesn't explain why you didn't tell me.' She playfully slapped his leg.

'If I told you...' he sighed, 'I would need to really examine it Mandy, you know how I felt about him, I just wanna take it slow this time.'

Amanda stared at him until he met her eyes. 'Felt? Or feel?'

He shrugged again and shook his head. 'I don't know. Can we talk about something else please; I really don't want to dig too deep into this right now.'

'Okay, sure.' The two friends smiled at each other but suddenly found themselves at a loss at what to discuss after that conversation killer. They both looked around the room and exhaled loudly. Amanda suddenly jerked around like an excited puppy.

'Oh I know. What do you think Mama Elle and Daddy Mode are doing?'

He sighed and closed his eyes. 'Give it up Amanda, it's not gonna happen.'

She pouted and changed the subject. 'I'm hungry. I put my order in like an hour ago!'

Marc arched his head over the back of the couch. 'I know; what's the hold up? WAITRESS! FOOD! NOW! CHOP CHOP!' He shouted into the distance.

A sweaty and exasperated Betty came bustling into room, holding a plate of food in each hand while balancing a third on her forearm. 'You know, it's not easy cooking for three in that closet you call a kitchen Marc.'

'It's minimalist.' He sulked.

'It's non-existent! Anyway, why am I cooking for you?'

'Consider it payment for our company.' Marc smiled as he took his plate of food.

Just as he was about to tuck in his phone rang, and he snapped his fingers at Betty to answer it. She rolled her eyes and picked up the cell on the table and threw it at him. It landed bang in the middle of the meal he was about to cut into, splattering his face with sauce. Opening the phone and pressing it to his ear, he elicited a shriek of laughter from the two young women in his apartment as it caused more sauce to cover his cheek.

'Hello.'

'You know, I may have been wrong about forcing you to make up with Amanda, God knows I can do without that incessant cackling.' The voice on the other end drawled.

'Willie, how is everything at Chez Slater-Meade?'

'What did you just say?'

He sat up straighter at the tone of her voice. Sometimes he had to remind himself she was not the typical friend you could joke with. 'Nothing Willie, nothing. What can I do for you?'

He heard a loud exhale of breath from her end of the line. 'Tomorrow: meeting in Mode's offices, regarding the upcoming softball game, Claire has decided to move it forward. You know I miss the times when I didn't have to try and be nice to her, who wrote the rule that says you need to befriend the family of your partner?' Her voice was getting higher as she got carried away. She was about to continue her little tirade, when she heard Marc gasp. 'What?'

'Aw Willie...' His voice was doing the annoying high, sing-song tone she hated. 'You just called him your partner.'

'No I didn't.'

'You did! You didn't even call him that when you were ACTUAL partners.'

She couldn't see him, but knew he'd be sporting that wide toothy grin he had become so fond of. 'Can we get back on topic? Make sure you let Amanda and Betty know that the meeting is tomorrow and that we will both be attending. Now, Claire changed the date so that we hopefully wouldn't need to deal with God damn St Pierre but we can't be sure. I need you all on your A game tomorrow, I need Oscar winning performances, no one must suspect a thing...we're getting too close Marc.'

'Read you loud and clear Wilhelmaestro.'

'Must you always do that?'

Before he could answer, he heard the phone disconnect. He pulled it away from his ear and stared at it. 'Goodnight to you too.' He smiled.

'Aww don't pout Marcia, Daddy probably dragged her away.' Amanda smiled.

Marc picked up a handful of his food and threw it at her.

xXx

The next morning Willie padded through to her kitchen to find Daniel standing, clad only in his boxers, brewing coffee.

She rubbed her eyes and yawned: 'You know this is getting stupid...and dangerous Daniel. You're supposed to be out of here by five and it's already six. The media is going to be watching me even more closely after what happened in Los Angeles.'

He walked over to her and ran his hands up and down her arms before leaning in to kiss her deeply. 'Fine, I'll go then.'

He started to walk away when he felt her grab his wrist and pull him back in for a longer kiss. Pulling apart he smiled sleepily at her; 'Don't want me to go huh?'

She smirked and walked away from him. 'Don't flatter yourself Meade; if I leave first they will follow me, making it easier for you to leave unnoticed dum-dum.'

He smiled and leaned against the island in her kitchen, arms folded. 'Have I told you how sexy I find it that you put my shirt on in the morning?'

'Have I told you how I'll kill you if you tell anyone that?'

'Frequently.'

She was looking around her kitchen, searching for something, looking up, she spied it. 'Damn it Daniel! Is there any reason why you keep putting my coffee cup on the top shelf even though I keep telling you NOT to!?'

He smirked as he watched her go on the tips of her toes to retrieve the mug, the hem of the shirt lifting to give him a peek at her backside as she did so. 'No reason.' He lied.

She turned around and caught him leering, following his trail of sight she narrowed her eyes at him 'You're a pig.'

'Guilty as charged.' He laughed.

xXx

She had been right, of course, when she left the building a little over two hours later, the few media who were outside her building followed her car all the way to Elle's offices, leaving the coast clear for Daniel to exit the building's side entrance.

Now Wilhelmina, Marc and three other members of Elle's staff were riding up in the elevator to Mode to discuss the upcoming Elle/Mode softball game. Outwardly she was, as ever, the picture perfect calm, stoic, fashionista. Inwardly, she was praying to anyone listening that they would all play their parts convincingly.

As the doors pinged open at the 28th floor she drank in the sight before her. She swore, even the air smelled different at Mode, sweeter somehow. As soon as she and her entourage stepped out she heard a familiar voice calling out. 'No need to panic people, she's like the sun. Don't look directly at her and you'll be fine.'

She tried not to smirk at the man who she had left back in her bed that morning. 'Well done Daniel, did you get Betty to write that one down for you and memorize it?'

'No Wilhelmina, I tend not to use my staff to do my bidding. Unlike you I prefer to utilise their talents more appropriately'

'You mean like buffing your desk with their backs?'

Behind her, Marc's eyes flitted back and forth, between them. _Damn they were BOTH good._

'Can we dispense with the pleasantries Daniel? Unlike you I have a _successful _magazine to run.' She clicked her fingers at the employees behind her and they immediately fell in line, following her to the conference room.

Biting back a smile, Daniel followed her. As he walked down the halls, past the reception desk, Amanda bounded behind him, winking at Betty as she too joined them. Various other Mode employees joined the procession. Lastly, Claire came out of her office, formerly Wilhelmina's, to meet the fray.

Daniel allowed his staff to file in before him, shutting the glass door as the last one entered. Coming to the table now, he stood at his seat, directly opposite from where Wilhelmina was sitting. He cleared his throat to speak, but was stopped by his mother coming to his side and talking first.

'Well, thank you all for coming. As you know, our annual charity game is approaching and I am co-ordinating it this year.'

'No "intercourse for the elderly" pamphlets to work on, this month, dear?' Wilhelmina questioned her, earning stifled laughter from the Elle employees.

Claire smirked at her, choosing to ignore the comment, rather than retaliate. 'Now, the charity chosen this year...'

Wilhelmina threw her hands up. 'Oh blah blah blah; just tell us when and where so we can co-ordinate our schedules and be done with this.'

Claire narrowed her eyes at her. She was playing her part well, TOO well. Looking to her side she saw her son biting the inside of his cheek, obviously to keep from laughing. He was enjoying this. 'Fine, the game will take place two weeks from tomorrow. We are scheduled to begin at 1pm so we are required to be at the diamond by 11am for photo opportunities and interviews. Mode's guest pitcher will be Adriana Lima. Elle...?'

'Joe Zee.' Wilhelmina announced.

The Mode staff gasped. 'Joe Zee? The Joe Zee who left Elle and Robbie in the lurch?' Claire asked incredulously.

'You know more than one Joe Zee?' Her eyebrow was cocked as she asked her.

Claire shook her head. 'Fine, all we need now is the team list and if everyone can check their schedule to ensure they're clear we can call this a day.'

As the people around the table began rifling through their day planners, Daniel sank his hands in his pockets and rocked on the balls of his feet. Wilhelmina looked at him and saw a dangerous glint in his eye.

'So...Wilhelmina, will you be playing this year?'

'Why, afraid to come up against me?' She smirked as she knew he would pick up the inflection of her words.

'No not at all.'

'Well, just you hope I'm not pitching against you, that's all I'm saying.'

He nodded slowly. 'I remember; you pitch hard don't you?'

She pouted in mock thought and tilted her head. 'True, sometimes I pitch hard and fast, others I just like to slide it straight to base and you never know...I might throw you the odd curveball.'

'I don't doubt it.'

Thankfully, the majority of the staff where engrossed in their schedules but Marc, Betty, Amanda and Claire were watching the scene unfold before them.

'What the hell are they doing?' Betty whispered to Amanda.

'I don't know but I like it.' She whispered back.

'Daniel, Wilhelmina, can I speak to you in my office please?' Claire asked or, by her tone, demanded. 'Team captain business.' She added.

Wilhelmina stood and walked around the table to join Daniel, trying not to look at him and trying not to dissolve into uncharacteristic laughter. The two Editors followed Claire into the office; as soon as the door closed she rounded on them. 'WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT!?'

'What?' Daniel asked, all wide eyed innocence.

'Don't "what" me, Daniel Meade. Are you two really so stupid!? You two are supposed to HATE each other, not talk goddamn dirty!'

'Really Claire, we were talking about softball, are you that hard up that everything has sexual connotations?' Wilhelmina asked.

'Oh give me a reason Willie, I think you making me slap you in front of the staff may go some way to repairing what you two just did.'

Wilhelmina sat in the chair. 'Oh calm down. No one noticed a thing, look!' She gestured through the glass to the conference room where the staff were still trawling through their date books.

Claire straightened her jacket. 'Just as well, we've put too much work into this for you to ruin it because you're horny.'

'Mom!' Daniel whined.

'You think I was born yesterday, you think I think you and Wilhelmina spend your evenings doing Bible study?'

'To be fair, we do mention God a lot.' Wilhelmina quipped.

Claire looked to the skies. 'Why did I stop drinking?'

xXx

Marc, Betty and Amanda had excused themselves from the boardroom table at varying intervals and were now sitting together in the bed of the love dungeon. Betty was perched on the side and Marc was laying sprawled across the top, legs crossed at the ankles as Amanda sat, legs tucked under her in the centre of the bed.

Marc looked at the two women. 'You know, I've often fantasized about three in a bed, but you two were a lot more muscular and were sailors.'

'And men right?'

Marc nodded emphatically as if to a two year old. 'Yes Amanda...and men.'

Amanda bounced on the bed. 'Aww, I've missed this.'

'Amanda, we've never done this.' Betty deadpanned.

'But us...I've missed the three of us,' she said sadly but then brightened, 'but soon all this will be over and you'll be back and we can do this all the time.'

Marc grimaced. 'Mandy when I come back, Willie will be back and I have a feeling this room will once again be used for the purpose for which it was intended...so no, we won't do this all the time, who wants to risk coming in to see Willie and Daniel playing _Mistress of Pain?'_

Amanda smiled and he rolled his eyes, 'Except you.'

Betty spoke up. 'But it will be nice us all being together again, we've got history here. Remember the night at _The Rack?_ Remember how scared we were about the Christmas spread? It feels like a lifetime ago.'

Marc smiled, 'Yeah, and do you remember re-enacting Christina-gate? Throwing the Williemannequin down the stairs? Watching that fall to the bottom really helped exorcise some demons.'

Amanda laughed. 'Oh my God, and remember when the three of us locked that intern in the copy room and set the sprinkler off?'

'That was just you and Marc and it wasn't an intern, it was me.' Betty narrowed her eyes. 'I still have flashbacks.'

'Lighten up Betty, you were included weren't you?'

'The room started filling up!' She squeaked.

'You're such a drama queen.' Amanda picked up a pillow and threw it at her.

The three friends sat up straighter in the bed as the heard the door to their hideaway open. Straining their ears, they listened to the hushed voices.

'This is monumentally stupid.'

'Come on, no one saw us come in here, and you can't expect to talk like that and leave me hanging.'

'We're still supposed to hate each other remember?'

'You can't tell me the risk of getting caught doesn't do it for you.'

'I just think we should stick to the plan instead of sneaking off for a secret session!'

'Well, pretty soon it won't be secret. When you are safely back here we don't need to hide it from anyone.'

The three people on the bed looked at each other with varied expressions as the voices stopped, unable to see, but still knowing, what the pair were doing. After a few seconds two bodies came into view, Daniel pushing Wilhelmina further into the room, using his hands to manoeuvre her by her hips as he lost himself kissing her.

'See, Betty? I told you.' Marc said loudly. The voice caused Daniel and Wilhelmina to jump apart. Wilhelmina hastily began smoothing her clothes as Daniel clasped his hands in front of him to hide the obvious reaction he was having.

'Marc, I was just looking for you.' Said Wilhelmina, flustered.

'Of course you were; I forgot I like to hide in Daniel's pants.' He smirked.

She threw him a look. 'Go check the coast is clear and we can get out of here.'

Marc jumped from the bed and walked around the corner out of sight and opened the door. After a couple of seconds he motioned to Wilhelmina, who left without allowing herself to look at Daniel.

Betty, Amanda and Daniel remained there for a few minutes, giving Marc and Wilhelmina time to leave. Daniel checked his watch. 'Okay, let's go.'

'That could have gotten messy.' Betty said to Amanda as they followed Daniel.

'I know...why did Marc have to interrupt them?'

'Shut up Amanda.'

xXx

That night, he arrived at her apartment as he had every night in the recent past. He found her sitting on her sofa, turning an untouched glass of liquor in her hands and staring into space. He leaned over the side and ran the back of his hand down her face. 'Hey.' He spoke softly.

She shook her head, snapping out of her daydream. 'Hey.'

'You okay? You were miles away.'

'I'm fine.' She sighed heavily, 'Just thinking.'

'About what?'

She went to take a drink from her glass but stopped before the content met her lips and instead looked at the liquid inside, contemplating it, deciding she didn't want it after all. Ignoring Daniel's question, she stood and walked to her kitchen. Worried, Daniel followed her and came through the door in time to see her pour the alcohol down the sink.

'About what?' He repeated.

She leaned back against the counter, pressing her palms against the cool marble. 'Everything...no that's a lie. Us, I'm thinking about us.'

He took a step forward. 'What about us?' He asked, more worried with each second.

'About what you said earlier...about not having to keep us a secret anymore.'

He shook his head. 'No.' His voice was angry. 'Don't you start freaking out on me now, not after we've come this far. I'm not going to let you sweep what he have away just because you don't want the world to know who the precious Wilhelmina Slater is in lo...in a relationship with.'

She arched her brow, but decided to ignore his Freudian slip for now. 'That's not what I meant, but thank for jumping on your high horse so quickly.'

He furrowed his brows in confusion and walked to her; he placed his hands on her shoulders and massaged the tense muscle underneath. 'Well what then?'

She shrugged under his touch. 'It just made me look at my life now; it's so not where I thought I'd be now.'

'Is that a bad thing?'

'No, I just realized I have some doors to close if I want to move on with this chapter.'

'Doors?' He was confused.

She smiled at him and took one of his hands from her shoulder. 'Never mind, I'm just rambling.' She pulled his hand, causing his body to move closer and kissed him slowly, he backed her up tighter against her counter. As he felt her move her hands up his body, he pulled away, before they lost themselves in each other.

'Are you sure you're okay?'

'I'm sure...now let's go see how I pitch tonight.'

xXx

But she wasn't sure and she wasn't okay and she knew exactly which doors she needed to close; which is how she found herself in the bare gray room, with its stone walls and floor and barely a chink of daylight invading the small confines. She sat with her back to the door, staring at the empty seat across the table from her; she nervously toyed with her Blackberry before placing it down before her. She tried to calm her shaky breath but felt it hitch in her chest as she heard the door open behind her. She didn't turn around but the tell tale chink of a key unlocking metal and the resulting click told her all she needed.

She remained staring straight ahead as he came into her view and sat down in front of her and she found herself staring in to the eyes she once thought she would stare into the rest of her life.

'Hello Darling.' The strong accent she used to love, whispered.

'Connor.'

He nodded once, 'That's it, that's all I get.' He smiled. 'No declarations of love? No apologies for leaving me languishing away in here?'

'You want _me _to apologise to _you?'_

He leaned back in his chair and smiled the smile that used to make her weak at the knees. 'Okay, I deserve that?'

'You deserve more than that Connor.'

'Like what, being deserted by the person I love when I need her most?'

She leaned forward. 'There wouldn't have been cause for me to desert you if you hadn't...' She leaned back and took a deep breath. 'I'm not getting into this argument again; it's not why I came here.'

'Then why did you? Unless you've changed your mind about waiting for me?' She couldn't miss the underlying hope in his voice and felt her heart break for the man she once thought was her "one".

'I'm here...because I need to let you go.' He scrunched up his face at her. 'I'm here to say goodbye.'

He chuckled. 'Kick a man when he's down, not usually your style, a tad tacky for you don't you think dear?'

'I'm not here to hurt you. I need to do this for me.'

'I think you made your feelings clear when I was sentenced.'

She nodded; 'I know I told you I wouldn't wait for you but I think a part of me always thought I would and from what you've said I think you thought so too, that I would welcome you back with open arms when you walked out of here. I need to let you know now...that's not going to happen. I don't want to give you false hope.'

'In this place, all you have is hope...and you just stroll in here and take it away from me.' His eyes hardened.

'I'm with someone.'

He placed an elbow on the table and leaned his head down, running a hand through his hair. 'I don't want to hear this Wilhelmina.'

'You have to. Pretty soon it will be common knowledge and it's only fair you hear it from me, considering...'

He looked up, into her eyes. 'Considering what?'

She looked up and sighed, then swallowed deeply. 'It's Daniel...I'm involved with Daniel.'

He sat staring at her for an indeterminable amount of time. 'Connor?' She spoke quietly.

He let out a loud laugh, startling her in the quiet of the room and making her jump.

'Say something Connor.' She pleaded.

'What is there to say?' His smile made her uneasy. 'Daniel?' He laughed again. 'You came down here to tell me that you're in a relationship with Daniel-FUCKING-Meade, what do you expect me to say? You want me to what? Give you my blessing to be with the man who put me in here?'

'You put yourself in here Connor.'

'No, HE drove me to it.' She shook her head at him. 'Tell me you're lying.'

'I'm sorry.'

He slammed his clenched fist on the table, 'TELL ME YOU'RE LYING!' He bellowed.

She just looked down. 'How Willie...how did this happen? I mean, last I heard you weren't even at Mode anymore, you were at Elle?' His voice was calmer now, defeated. 'You know what, forget it, I don't need to know.'

She decided to answer him anyway. 'I am at Elle...Daniel and I are working together to bring me back to Mode...and tarnish Elle in the process.'

'You've got him scheming with you...must be serious.' He said, sarcastically.

She stood up and picked up her bag. 'I'm sorry Connor, I'm not telling you this to cause you pain. I'm telling you this for release, to get you out of my system for good.' She turned around to remove her jacket from the chair.

'Willie.'

She turned as he said her name and she found him behind her, he grabbed her by the top of her arms and pulled her in to him. He crashed his lips to hers without warning, she remained still in his arms, didn't return the kiss. He kept his lips to hers and moved a hand into her hair. With an audible sob she relented and moved her lips against his; allowing them this one, final, goodbye. She had loved him so completely and no matter what she had with Daniel, letting Connor go once and for all was almost incomprehensible.

She pulled apart from him and rested her forehead against his, keeping her eyes closed, and ran her hand down the side of his face. She raised her eyes to his and saw her own sadness reflected back. He took her hand and pressed it to his lips. 'I'll never be out of your system.' He whispered.

She lifted her other hand to their joined ones and used it to pry her hand from his grasp. 'Goodbye Connor.' She walked to the door.

'I'll be out of here one day Willie.' She stopped at the door but didn't turn to look at him. 'And when I am I want you to know that I'm going to fight for you.'

She straightened her shoulders and left him.

xXx

Daniel was waiting for Wilhelmina in her apartment, throwing peanuts in the air and trying, and failing, to get them in his mouth as he spoke to Betty on his cell.

'Are you staying at Wilhelmina's again?'

'Yeah.' He answered as another failed attempt hit him on the nose.

'So why are you on the phone with me? Shouldn't the two of you be doing couple stuff that will make me require therapy, which by the way you are totally paying for.'

He chuckled. 'She's in a meeting with Arnaud. He wants to discuss the "attack"'

He heard the door to her apartment click. 'Oh, that's her now. Gotta go.'

'It's nice to know you just use me to fill the gaps between you getting laid.'

'Goodbye Betty.' He ignored her comment and clicked the phone shut just as Wilhelmina came in the room.

She shrugged her coat off and placed it on the table along with her bag. He walked up to her and gave her a quick kiss hello.

'How was your meeting?'

'It...uh...it was okay.'

'So what did he say? Anything we can use?'

She smiled and kissed him in an attempt to distract him. 'Can we talk about it later? I'm tired.'

He brushed a strand of hair from her face. 'Sure.'

His cell rang, interrupting them. 'Answer it, I'm going to get some wine, I need a drink after that meeting.'

He watched her walk away and flipped his phone open.

When she returned, minutes later, he was leaning against the table with his arms folded, his call had ended. 'Willie, where's your cell? I tried calling you earlier.'

She looked in her bag and felt her blood freeze when she realized she had left it on the table in the prison. 'Oh...I must have left it in the office when I was with Arnaud.' She smiled.

He nodded and pursed his lips. 'Funny, because the person who found it just looked at your calls and dialled the most used number...being me'

Her breath quickened as she saw a steely hardness form in his stare. 'So tell me Willie, how is Connor?'


	21. Chapter 21

Wilhelmina's lips parted slightly, the words stuck in her throat.

"I'm such an idiot," Daniel whispered, shaking his head and turning around to leave the room. She followed him, without saying a word; she knew she should explain, but she simply couldn't find it in her to stop him. Daniel marched along the corridor, entering the dining room.

She noticed the candles lit in the middle of the table, and her heart broke at the thought of what Daniel must be feeling. But how could she tell him she had gone there for closure, when for a moment she'd lost herself in the arms of the man whom she had loved more than life itself? How could she tell him it had been nothing, if she wasn't sure of it either?

"Daniel, wait," she tried, but Daniel wasn't listening. He bent to collect his coat from the small couch in the corner and threw it over his forearm. "Can you please stop with the stubbornness and listen to what I have to say."

He walked by her and she grabbed him by the sleeve; he pulled away brusquely and she felt him slip away from her grip. He kept walking away, and she followed him. "Daniel, I told you to listen to me!"

They reached her entrance and he was almost at the door when she sprinted forward, blocking his way, placing her hands on his chest, trying to push him back. He tried to shove her away, placing a hand on her arm, but she just grabbed his shirt into her fist and he snorted, halting.

He looked down at her, the anger clear in his eyes. His jaw was clenched, and his chest was rising and falling in time with his heavy breathing. She took in his appearance for a second.

"Wow, I never noticed you look this good when you're angry," she exclaimed.

He shook his head and tried to shove her to the side again, but she propped herself on her feet, stopping him with her weight. He took a step back, and she almost fell on the floor. Regaining her balance, she straightened herself up, and licked her lips.

"I know you're mad," she said, putting her hands up. "But you're being a jerk."

"And you're being a bitch. I guess we're even."

He stepped to the side, hoping to reach the door, but she mirrored his movements, blocking his way again.

"You think calling me a bitch will hurt me? Please, I've been called that so many times I could officially change my name into Wilhelmina Bitch Slater," she joked, biting back a chuckle, because she knew he wouldn't be amused. And indeed, his face didn't show the smallest trace of hilarity, so she decided to go on. "I went to see Connor because I needed to close that chapter in my life, Daniel. Can't you see I did this for us, so that there would be no ghosts in between the two of us?"

"I thought you'd closed the chapter when you kindly told him you didn't need him anymore," he said, moving to put on his coat. Wilhelmina snatched the garment from his hands and threw it to the side. He opened his mouth in shock.

"You're not going anywhere," she said, folding her arms on her chest. "Not until you hear me out properly. I didn't leave Connor because I didn't _need _him, as you kindly pointed out in your endless stupidity. I left Connor because I couldn't be attached to anyone while I made the transition."

"Good, now you're going to be back at Mode and you'll be free to have him back," Daniel snapped. "I wish you all the best."

"God, you're so dense!" she exclaimed, her voice rising dangerously.

"Don't worry, I'm sure Connor will be much smarter than me," he said, his voice dripping with sarcasm. He bent again and retrieved the coat Wilhelmina had carelessly thrown aside. He moved past her and just when he was at the door she grabbed him by the elbow and spun him around with all her strength, pushing him against the wall.

"Now listen to me, you son of a bitch," she hissed. He saw her lift her skirt a few inches, showing off her thigh, and pointing at a red scratch. "You see this?" she asked. "Those were _your _nails, this morning." She turned around, her back on him, and lowered the neck of her blouse, showing her left shoulder. He noticed the marks there, too. "This? You made it yesterday night." Turning around, facing him again, she moved her hair to the side and tilted her head, pointing at a spot on her neck. "And this hickey? Yes, still you, before I left for LA, the other day. It took a hell of a lot of concealer to hide it, but it's still there."

He stood motionless, watching her getting so worked up. He was everywhere, on her body.

"This, Daniel, all of this," she explained, "it's yours. You're _imprinted _on me. You know my body better than me. You know every single spot, you know exactly where to touch me and how to do it. You know when I'm angry, and you know when I'm sad. No one ever knew me as much as you do now. So can you please stop being so insecure? I'm yours, Daniel. I really am."

She took a step closer, placing her hands on his chest. She looked up at him, trying to decipher his expression. He let the coat fall on the ground and he leaned in, brushing his lips against hers. She felt the warmth of his hand on the small of her back, pulling her to him. Sneaking her arms around his neck, she parted her lips and traced his bottom lip with her tongue; he responded to the kiss, eagerly, sliding his hands down her back, stopping just inches before he could reach her butt.

She ran a hand through his hair, grinding against him, and he broke the kiss, shifting her body so that she was the one pressed against the door. He slid his hands up her sides, and she shivered. He stopped before his hands would reach the roundness of her breasts, and he pulled back.

"I hate it that he touched you before me," he said, his voice low. "I hate it that he had you before me. I hate it that you were in love with him, I hate everything about him."

"He doesn't have any of that anymore, Daniel," she whispered into his ear, casually slipping her hands under his shirt and tracing the curve of his spine with her fingers.

"How do I know you're not using me because he's in jail?" he asked, leaning his forehead against her left shoulder. His hands inched up, his thumbs drawing circular patterns on the curve of her breasts. She closed her eyes, the anticipation was killing her.

"You need to believe in me, Daniel," she said, bringing her hands to the front of his body, just above the waistline of his trousers. She hooked a finger in the belt, pulling at it before passing a hand over the fabric, feeling his hardness growing under her touch.

He groaned and started working on the buttons of her blouse. He didn't want to look her in the eyes, it was easier for him to stare at her body as her breasts slowly came in sight with each button he would undo. He took in the way the bra hugged her curves perfectly and dipped his head down, using his tongue to tease her, sliding it smoothly along the lacy fabric, still never really latching on her.

She arched her back, closing her eyes and working fast on Daniel's belt. As soon as she'd unbuckled it, she pushed the trousers downwards, so that they fell around his ankles. He stepped out of them, taking off his shoes hastily. He pushed the material of her blouse off her shoulder, tossing it away and surprised her by pulling her roughly off the wall, pressing her into him, staring into her eyes.

With one hand, placed in between her shoulder blades, he kept her in place, while the other slid down her side and rolled her skirt up around her hips and gripped the thin material of her thong, pulling at it roughly, ripping it to the side. Her eyes widened and she looked down, as her expensive, and now completely useless, thong fell to the ground.

He used his body to push her against the wall again and placed the left hand on the cold tile behind her, and with the other he reached down, behind her thigh, and lifted it above his right hip. She pushed his boxers down his thigh, freeing him and immediately gripping him tightly. He thrust against her hand, unable to control his body's movements. Lifting her leg higher around his waist, he used his free hand to position himself at her entrance. She arched her back, ready for the feeling she'd grown to be addicted to, and gasped when he thrust his whole length into her core, in one swift movement.

With one hand, she grabbed a fistful of his hair and pulled his head up, crashing his lips on hers, meanwhile with the other hand she circled his waist and kept him still, pressed against hers. He pulled back from the kiss and leaned his free arm against the wall, at the side of her head.

He began to move inside her, thrusting roughly. Her hand slid down on his butt, pulling him to her harder with each thrust, moaning his name over and over. It ignited him, hearing his name coming from her lips, today more than anything. Because it was his, and not Connor's. Because he was the one who had her moaning. Because he was the one who could reduce her to a shivering mess.

She arched her back, and the leg she was balanced on almost gave up; he circled her waist and kept her in balance, thrusting harder. She clutched at his shoulders, rolling her head back. He kissed down her neck, biting on her collarbone. Her moans grew louder and more frequent, and he sped up his movements. She began to cry out, gripping his shirt into her fists; his fingers dug into the flesh of her thigh, which he still kept high above his hips. He closed his eyes, doing everything he could to resist and fight his own release.

He buried his head in the nook of her neck, blocking out her moans as her orgasm hit her. The clenching of her inner walls against him, as he kept thrusting, was torture, but he was determined to win this one. As soon as the grip she had on his shirt lessened, he pulled back out, his erection still throbbing painfully.

Wilhelmina looked at him, confused, still breathing hard from her high. "What…why…" she tried to form a coherent sentence, but he didn't give her time. He worked on the zipper of her skirt, wrinkled and rolled up around her hips messily, sliding it down her legs. He took her by the hand and she stepped out of it, her legs like jelly. He lead her across the room and opposite the table, and he turned her around, coming to stand behind her, his hands on her stomach.

"Bend," he whispered into her ear.

She turned her head to the side, and met his gaze. "Are you trying to prove a point?" she asked, smirking in between deep breaths.

He smirked against the skin of her shoulder, darting his tongue out to slide it over the marks she'd showed to him. His hand travelled from the base of her spine along her back, upwards, reaching the base of her neck. She shivered, her own reactions making her grin, and bent over slowly, placing her hands on the wood of the table. She tilted her head to watch him over her shoulder, and the look in his eyes amused her and aroused her at the same time. Never, in her whole life, had a man wanted her more than Daniel did.

He gripped her by her hips tightly, and pushed deep inside her, groaning at the sensation. She bit her bottom lip and shut her eyes, her nails scratching the surface. It wasn't long before he started moving, keeping his thrusts slow and rhythmic. She moaned when he found her g-spot, feeling another orgasm building quickly and unexpectedly. She felt him bend slightly too, biting down on the skin of her back, maintaining his thrusts deliberately slow.

"Harder," she ordered in a whisper, gripping the edge of the table, her knuckles white. He was more than happy to comply, as his strength was starting to weaken the more he kept his movements up, unable to hold it in anymore. He started to slam harder into her, his fingers squeezing her skin madly.

Her walls tightened once again around him, and he rested his forehead against her back, groaning deep into his throat and stilling her against him as he finally let his release overcome him. She arched her back and cried out when her second orgasm hit her, and her nails dug violently into the surface.

She kept her eyes closed, leaning on her arms, and Daniel bent over her, placing his hands near hers. He placed his chin on her shoulder, their breathing perfectly synchronized. She opened her eyes slowly, and looked down onto the table.

"Oh. My. God…" she stuttered.

"Yeah…" he agreed, stroking the back of her hands with his thumbs. "You know…I was just wondering how long it would take us to have angry sex."

She chuckled. "I guess we should have tried this a long time ago," she said, still taking in large gulps of air. "Daniel, I…it really is over between me and Connor."

He nodded and kissed her shoulder languidly. "I believe you."

***

He wished he would be able to enjoy his out-of-cell time, that afternoon, but instead he sat down in a corner, and watched as the other prisoners played basketball in the courtyard. He was good at basketball, he was the best amongst those people. They always wanted him in their teams, because they knew it would grant them to be the winning team.

Connor stared into space, his mind miles away. All he could think about was Wilhelmina, and what she had told him. Why had she felt the urgency to tell him? He could have lived without it. He would have served his time, and when the time was right he would have found out about it when he was free. Yes, he would have killed the motherfucker Meade, but that was a whole different story.

Knowing he was locked in there and meanwhile, somewhere in the outside world, Daniel Meade had his hands on her was unbearable. He banged his head back against the wall, looking up to the sky, cursing such a misfortunate fate.

"Hey Owens," came a familiar voice. He looked at the source and saw the man walking towards him. He was a tall white man, bald and wrinkly in his face. He was so thin you could see the bones sticking out from everywhere. Crime: fraud.

"Hey Mills," he greeted his cell mate. "Why aren't you playing?"

"Doctor's orders," the man answered, and leaned against the wall, sliding down and sitting next to Connor. "I saw the chick that came to visit today," he said, smirking. "Man, did you tap that?"

Connor frowned, well used to the man's antics, but still reluctant to the way the man used them in regard to Wilhelmina. "That was my girlfriend," he said, drawling the last word, wondering if the fact that he still referred to her as his _girlfriend _could be indicative of his unresolved issues. Clearly she could not be his girlfriend anymore, if she was banging someone else. Let alone if that someone else was Daniel Meade.

"I thought you said she dumped you?" he said, smirking. "Because, I mean, if she's available…give her my number, you know what I mean?"

"Shut up, Mills," he said, passing a hand through his hair, tiredly. "And by the way no, she's not available, because apparently she came in here because she wanted me to know she's in a relationship with the man I stole money from. Basically, she's stabbing me in the back."

"So…That was Wilhelmina Slater, uh?" the man named Mills asked, trying to put together the pieces of the puzzle that his cell mate had reluctantly told him in their endless, sleepless nights confined in a dark cell. "And let me guess…the man you stole money from…That must be Daniel? I can't remember his full name, sorry."

"Meade," Connor finished, and just mentioning the name he felt his blood boiling up. "Daniel fucking Meade. I mean, how could she? He's a closet gay!"

"Well, apparently not, if he's enjoying _that_," Mills said, lifting his eyebrows suggestively. "Can't be that gay, after all."

"You should _see _the man, Mills. He's a douche!" Connor complained, slamming a fist on the ground. "I can't believe she let him trick her, he doesn't even care about her! He hates her, Mills! I bet he has some sort of agenda. He has to. There's no way Daniel Meade could ever be interested in Wilhelmina Slater, unless there was something more to it."

"Maybe he just finally saw that perfect ass of hers," Mills exclaimed, whistling in appreciation. Connor shot him a look and the man smiled wickedly. "Anyway, I thought you told me she went away from that place. Wasn't she at _Emme_, or something?"

"_Elle_," Connor corrected him. "And yes, she was, but the bastard has managed to get her on board for some sick plan that not even I understand. She's going back at _Mode_, or whatever it is she told me. I wasn't listening frankly. I just wanna punch him in the face, that son of a bitch."

Mills studied the man's profile for a second, then patted him on the back and got up, shaking the dust off his jumpsuit. "You know, Owens…" he began. "Life is a big wheel. They'll pay, when the time comes."

Connor snorted. "You don't know her, Mills. She's too smart. He's an idiot, but somehow he manages to make it through every time. I'm starting to think I'm the only one who's paying the price for their actions, here."

Connor looked up and noticed a gleam into the mate's eyes. "Connor, trust me," Mills said. "It's a matter of time. Their little worlds will come crumbling down. They'll regret it. They all do, sooner or later."

***

As they lay on the bed, he looked at her, chuckling. They had both just got out of the shower, and they were wearing their bathrobes. She was leaning against the headboard, her legs crossed at the ankles, while he had his head on her thighs, sideways.

He didn't know when they'd started talking about their exes, but they were. After listening to her rant about what a pain in the ass Sofia was, and how she couldn't stand her, it was his turn to trash someone.

"The cowboy," he stated, the word enough to make Wilhelmina smile. "Seriously, woman, what were you thinking?"

"I think I got into the southern charm, that time," she explained, running a hand through his hair. "He was good-looking, and he was fun. He was different from the men I usually dated. I think it's the differences that drew us together."

"He was a total scumbag," Daniel exclaimed, stretching his arm out to tickle her side. She slapped his hand away and raised an eyebrow. "Come on, you could do so much better."

"At least I didn't sleep with a lawyer just to get my father out of jail."

"At least I didn't screw your mother just to get my hands on your money."

Wilhelmina puckered her lips and bit the inside of her cheek. "Shall we change subject?" she said, trying to avoid the awkward conversation.

"Did you at least care the slightest bit about him?" Daniel asked, referring to his own father. Wilhelmina looked down, seeing the genuine curiosity in her eyes, without a trace of anger, and she decided she had to be careful dealing with this issue.

"Are we really going to talk about this?" she asked. "Isn't it weird?"

"It is," Daniel said, using his hands as leverage and propping himself on one elbow, facing her. "I don't want you to tell me you did just because he was my father. I'm just trying to get inside your head."

"I'm afraid you'll find a good deal of things you don't want to see, Daniel," she said.

"Try me," he insisted, sitting up straight, crossing his leg, facing her.

She sighed. "I had a great respect for your father, Daniel. I mean, if anything, I wished I could accomplish as much as he did. He was…a role model, on so many levels. He was an idiot, most of the time, don't get me wrong. He was your father, after all," she said, smirking, and he slapped her on her thigh. "But he was a determined business mind. He was a money machine. He was…he was ok. But when I got into that relationship it was far from a love affair, Daniel, and you know that. I must have cared for him, on some level, but that was definitely not love."

Daniel nodded and placed his hand on her leg, under the soft material of the robe wrapped around her body. He kneaded the skin he found, and she tilted her head. "What's going through your mind?" she asked, deciding if he had just asked for access to her mind she might as well be granted access into his.

"I miss my father," he said. "Sometimes, when I least expect it, I find myself asking what he would have done in certain situations, with certain people. I wonder if he would look at me and be proud of what I have become."

She didn't like the way the conversation had started off as a light one and was now heading into more serious business. She wasn't ready to do it, yet. She did the only thing she could think off. She moved from her position against the headboard and got nearer to him, sliding a leg on his lap, and slowly straddling him. She cupped his face with both hands and leaned in, kissing him. He kissed her back, moving his hands to rest on her thighs, under the robe.

The phone rang. She pulled back and stretched her arm behind her, grabbing the phone. She looked at the ID and read _Marc St. James _on the screen.

"It's Marc," she said, while Daniel started kissing down her jaw line.

"Leave it," he mumbled against her skin.

"No, I have to get this," she said. "He tried calling four times already, while we were under the shower playing the dolphin's mating."

He laughed at the analogy. "Fine, answer, but be quick," he said, his mouth not leaving the skin of her neck. "I'm interested in studying as many animals' mating processes as we can."

She rolled her eyes, snapping the phone open, and brought it to her ear. "Wilhelmina Slater," she said, casually drawing circular patterns on the base of his neck with his free hand. She heard wheezing on the other end, and recognized immediately the noise of Marc's inhaler. "Marc, what's wrong?" she asked, unimpressed.

"Willie…prison…disaster."

Wilhelmina frowned and her hand stopped moving. "What are you saying, Marc?" She heard the inhaler's noise again, and her patience started to decrease dangerously. "Marc, put the damn inhaler down and explain!"

Daniel looked up, questioningly. She shook her head and lifted a finger.

"Willie," Marc started, breathing deeply. "Someone just called from the Federal Penitentiary. They KNOW."

"Marc, you have one minute to be sure your sentences have sense, or I swear I'm shoving a broomstick down your throat as soon as I see you."

"I got a call from a lawyer whose client is a prisoner of the Federal Penitentiary, they say they know about you and Daniel's plan to take over Elle and they offered a deal to keep their mouth shut," he said without pausing in between words. "They want money. A shitload of money, Willie. So much money we could solve Lindsay Lohan's drug problems if we had that amount."

Wilhelmina's eyes darted to Daniel's, then she got off his lap and off the bed, pacing around the room under his scrutiny.

"How much?" she asked.

Marc made a noise, and stuttered: "I don't know Willie, they didn't say, they just said they want a lot."

"Isn't there any law against this? Isn't this illegal?" she asked, feeling foolish for letting someone trap her with her own weapons of choice.

"I'm sure there is, but there must be some law against what we're doing too! We're going to prison, Willie. We're going to prison, and they'll force me to get a tattoo done on my pretty face. I'll look like a thug, I'll be a murderer's bitch!"

"Marc, stop the hype right now," she ordered, stopping in the middle of the room and placing one hand on her hips. "I'm going to think about this, I need to collect my ideas. I'll get back to you as soon as I have a solution."

"And hopefully that solution won't include tattoos and prisons, right?" Marc asked.

" Hopefully," she concluded, disconnecting the call. Her arm fell down her side, still gripping the phone in her hand, and she stared ahead, with a blank expression on her face.

Daniel, who had been silent for the whole time, waited for an explanation, but when it didn't come he grew slightly concerned. "What happened? Who's doing something illegal?" he asked.

Wilhelmina shifted her gaze upon him, her face still wearing the most confused expression he'd ever seen on her. "You know Daniel, I'm not sure, because I'm usually on the other side, threatening…But I think someone is blackmailing us."

***

"You are the most stupid woman I've ever met, Wilhelmina!" Claire shouted, slamming her fist on the glass metallic surface of Wilhelmina's kitchen. "I can't believe you would tell Connor about our plans! That was the single dumbest thing you could do!"

"I didn't know he would tell anybody!" she retorted, knowing there was no excuse, no witty remark, no way she could talk herself out of that situation. She knew it was her fault, she shouldn't have said that, she should have just stuck with the original plan and told him about Daniel. Why did she have to go and talk about Elle too? "I thought I could trust him."

"Yes, obviously, because he gave us such good reasons to trust him the first time he stole the company's money, didn't he Wilhelmina?" Claire snapped. "So you thought, _hey, why not go after a repeat performance?_ How could you be so monumentally naïve?"

"You can say all you want, Claire, but I'm sure he didn't spill with the purpose to cause any problem. I'm sure it was a slip up," she insisted, not knowing why she was still defending him.

"How do you know that, Wilhelmina?" Claire pressed. "You strolled in and rubbed your relationship with a person who took his fiancé from him, right in his face. How can you be so delusional?"

"Because I know him, ok?" she said. "I know he wouldn't do this to me, not even if I hurt him."

She could feel Daniel's gaze upon her, and she looked at him, who was leaning against the wall, his arms folded on his chest, clearly trying to ignore what she was saying. She sighed, knowing he was probably going to throw it all in her face again, later, but she had to explain to Claire the reality of things.

"He's still in love with me," she continued. "And he said he wouldn't give up. He knows he wouldn't have a chance, if he did this. He wouldn't be that stupid."

Daniel snorted and pushed himself off the wall, leaving the room. Claire followed him with her eyes, then turned to Wilhelmina again.

"Who is this man, anyway?" she asked.

"I don't have the name yet, I told Marc to gather some info. He was supposed to be here ten minutes ago," she said, checking the clock. She couldn't deny the fact that she was worried for him. What if something had happened to him?

The doorbell rang just as her thoughts were leading her to think about the many ways Marc could have been killed, and she sighed in relief. Before she could even realize it, she was running along the corridor, on her five-inches heels, and on her way she cast a glance towards Daniel, who was sitting on the couch, his legs on the coffee table, sulking. She stopped, pointing at his legs. "Off," she ordered, and he snorted, ignoring her demand. She shook her head. "I'm going to deal with you later," she said, throwing her hands in the air and reaching the door; she opened it wide, and Marc came running inside, dragging Amanda with him.

Wilhelmina frowned. "Did you have to bring your own personal assistant?" she asked, closing the door.

"Yes," he said, out of breath. He looked around quickly, just as Claire came in the room. He noticed Daniel's childish pouting, and shook his head, focusing back on what he had to say. He held up a thick folder, waving it. Wilhelmina stepped forward and snatched it from the man's hands, going to sit on the couch next to Daniel. He shot her a look and scooted further away from her. She narrowed her eyes, exasperated, and then went back to the folder.

"Hector Mills," she said out loud, and Claire walked up to the couch and sat on the armrest, leaning to read over Wilhelmina's shoulder.

Marc and Amanda couldn't help but notice how homely the image was. Daniel leaned his head on the back of the couch, closing his eyes. "What is he in jail for?" he asked, deciding that he couldn't just pretend they weren't in a huge mess.

"Fraud, of course," Wilhelmina explained, skimming through the contents. "I don't know what to make of this," she said, looking at the page. "Marc, where did you find this stuff?"

"Actually, Amanda did," he said, pointing to the little blonde friend.

She nodded and stepped forward. "I know the lawyer. Stan Kelly. I mean, he was a friend of my adoptive father, as soon as Marc told me his name a called my dad. I asked him if he knew a way to know which of Stan's clients were in the Federal Penitentiary. Turned out, there was only one of them, and that's the guy on those papers."

Wilhelmina narrowed her eyes at Amanda. "Do I want to know how your father got his hands on these files?"

"No, you don't," she replied, grinning.

"Alright, that's it, I'm calling Roger," Claire interrupted them, standing up and reaching into her pocket.

"Who's Roger?" Wilhelmina asked Daniel.

"Her lawyer," he explained, picking on his shirt. Wilhelmina stood up and spun around hastily snatching the phone from Claire's hands.

"You can't call a lawyer! We can't sue!" Wilhelmina exclaimed. "You think what I did with those forms, at _Elle_, is legal? No, it's not."

"Give me my phone," Claire ordered, stretching her arm out. "I'm giving you ten seconds to give me my phone, before I attack you viciously."

"I'm giving you your phone back as soon as you promise you won't call lawyers, police, the army or whomever it is you want to call," Wilhelmina said, lifting the phone up and dangling it in front of Claire's face. The woman looked at it, then nodded. Wilhelmina placed it on her palm, and Claire, put it back into her pocket.

"What's the plan, then?" Claire asked, going to sit next to Daniel. Wilhelmina looked down on the two of them, then turned around to face Marc and Amanda. The two took a step back, as if her glare had almost actually pushed them. She, on her part took a step forward.

Amanda grabbed Marc's hand and leaned in. "What is she doing?" she asked.

"I don't know," he said, as they kept backing up. When they reached the wall behind them, they had to stop. They looked frantically at her, as she drew closer. She placed her hands on her hips and smirked.

"I need the two of you to meet with the guy and his lawyer," she said. "Tell them we agree to pay off."

"WHAT!" Claire yelled, standing up hastily.

Wilhelmina ignored her, continuing. "Meanwhile, I'll talk to my father, and I'll ask for a private meeting with Connor."

"WHAT!" Daniel yelled, this time, mirroring his mother's actions.

Wilhelmina turned around and rolled her eyes. "We need to buy more time. If they think we're going to pay, they'll be patient for, say, a few more days. All we need, now, is more time so that we can speed things up. And Daniel," she said, facing him. "I want you to come with me, when I meet Connor. We'll sort this out, and I'm sure he'll help us. There must be some dirt on this Hector Mills he can help us use against that scumbag."

"He will never help me, Wilhelmina," he said.

"But he will help me," she pointed out. "Daniel, I need you to be there. I need _you_."

Hearing whispering from behind her, she turned around and narrowed her eyes at Amanda and Marc, whose head were close together, blabbing about something. "What?" she barked.

"Nothing," Marc exclaimed. But then his expression softened, and he smiled "It's just…Can you say that again? I want to use it as my ringtone."


	22. Chapter 22

Wilhelmina was standing in the waiting area in the penitentiary. She heard the insistent clack of her heels against the concrete as she paced back and forth waiting on Daniel to arrive. He was twenty minutes late and she was beginning to fear he wouldn't come. His attitude yesterday, when they were planning this visit, left a lot to be desired. He hadn't stayed with her that night, preferring to go home with his mother, with the excuse that it would be easier to leave for the prison from there and give her space to make arrangements with her Father. She thought she had proved to him how she felt, but based on his childish sulking, it was clear he still had some issues. She really didn't have the energy to keep convincing him, not when their plan was exhausting her more and more with each passing day.

The buzzer sounded behind her, to indicate the doors opening, turning around quickly, she released a sigh of relief when she saw Daniel walk through the door. Her relief quickly turned to annoyance when she saw his mother step in behind him.

'What are you doing here?' She hissed at Claire.

'I'm here to support my son, and to make sure you don't make this situation any worse.'

'You are NOT coming in that room with us Claire!'

Claire lifted her head; 'Perhaps not, but I will be right outside.'

Wilhelmina shook her head in irritation. 'Why?'

Claire shot a look at Daniel, Wilhelmina also looked to him; he was gazing at the other end of the room. Not meeting her eyes. Wilhelmina continued to stare at him, willing him to look at her, his eyes remained fixed in the distance. She raised a hand to grasp his forearm. 'Daniel?'

Reluctantly he turned to look at her and she felt her stomach plummet as she saw the vulnerability reflecting back at her. He was frightened, frightened of what he would hear in that room. Frightened of facing Connor, of seeing her with the man he knew she had wanted to spend her life with. More than that, she knew, he was frightened of losing. Since learning of her previous visit, his mind had been working overdrive. What had been said? What had happened? She hadn't told him of their kiss, because she really didn't feel she had to, Connor wasn't a threat to them.

Looking at Claire, she tried to express her worry for Daniel through her eyes; Claire merely shrugged at her and raised her hands. Wilhelmina took Daniel's hand and tugged it, getting his attention. He looked at her again and she motioned to the corner with her head. Still holding his hand she led him like a bewildered child to the corner of the room.

'Hey...' She spoke softly, reaching to grab his other hand too. 'What is this?'

'I'm fine.'

'No you're not.'

He sighed and clenched his jaw, looking away. She felt his body tense and tightened her grip on his hands, taking a step closer. 'Daniel, look at me...look at me.'

He looked up into her eyes. 'You have nothing to worry about okay? Nothing. This is me and you, we're going in there together and we are coming out together. Nothing he can say or do will change that fact.'

He nodded his head slowly. 'Tell me again why I need to be here.'

'I told you, _I _need you here.'

'Why? Are you afraid of what you might do if I wasn't?'

She stepped back from him slightly, still holding his hands. She looked deep in his eyes and decided she could opt for nothing but the truth, knew that even if she tried, he would see through it. 'Maybe a little.'

'I can't believe this.' He tried to shake her grip loose, but she held tight and stepped close to him again. 'Daniel, we talked about this last night.'

'But you just said...'

'Look, you're the one I want to be with, but I can't deny the hold he used to have over me. That's why I need you with me Daniel, I don't want to mess this up; I can't.'

Looking at her again, he stopped trying to get free when he saw the wetness in her eyes. She looked off to the side, trying to quell her emotions. 'Don't make me go in there alone.' She whispered.

Seeing her like that seemed to deflate him, broke the childish haze of jealousy that engulfed him. 'Fuck.' He whispered and pulled her to him, wrapping an arm around her neck and hugging her tight to his shoulder. 'I'm sorry.' He whispered into his hair and placed a kiss there. He saw his mother watching them and an indecipherable expression cross her face as she turned her back on them.

She pulled back from his embrace and he saw she was, once again, perfectly composed. He ran a thumb over her cheek. 'I'm an ass.'

'I know.'

He smiled and leaned into her, kissing her lightly. She brought her hands to his face and deepened it, trying to show him the depth of her feeling for him, knowing she was unable to do it with her words. As the buzzer sounded again they broke the kiss, turning their attention to the pair who came tumbling through the door.

'Ooh, looky looky Marc, you might get your wish of Prison Sex after all.' Amanda quipped, looking to Willie and Daniel who were still holding each other in the corner.

'Somehow...not quite what I meant.'

Wilhelmina walked towards them, still holding Daniel's hand as she brought him with her. This went unnoticed by none of the others. This small intimate gesture which said more about them now than anything else could. Daniel smirked at the various expressions he saw as they took in their coupled hands. He wasn't sure if she was holding him out of a need to reassure him or herself, either way, he wasn't letting go.

'Okay, now you and Amanda are going in to meet with Mills at a quarter past. If he's busy with you it means there's no chance of him seeing Daniel and I head in to meet with Connor at half past. You clear on what you have to say?'

Marc nodded emphatically. 'Yep, just agree to whatever he wants. I don't understand though. How can his lawyer be a party to all this, it's illegal.'

'An unscrupulous lawyer? Yes, very hard to believe, God you're so naive sometimes Marc. It doesn't matter that it's illegal you nit, we threaten to blow the whistle on him and he does it right back.' She looked at her watch. 'Right, it's time, you go in. His lawyer has already arrived, he was here before me.'

Marc gulped and he and Amanda took a step towards the barred door that would lead them into the prison. Amanda suddenly spun on the spot to face Daniel and Wilhelmina. 'Wait!' She walked to them, hands on her hips and gestured the outfit she wore.

'Is this too slutty for prison? I mean these guys have been locked up without any McNasty for God knows how long, I'm not going to drive them crazy with lust am I?'

Wilhelmina rolled her eyes. 'You're fine Amanda.'

'Oh.' The girl looked disappointed but then brightened, pulling her top lower to reveal more cleavage and lifting the waist band of her skirt to show more leg. 'How 'bout now?'

'Just go Amanda.' Daniel laughed.

They watched the pair disappear through the door, Marc giving one last fleeting glace of panic in Wilhelmina's direction. When they were gone, they both turned to Claire, who was still looking at their joined hands with a look of sheer bewilderment. Noting her unease, Wilhelmina snatched her hand from Daniel's, shaking Claire from her daze. She looked at the pair of them, her expression still confounded.

'Mom, what's wrong?' Daniel questioned her.

She shook her head. 'I...I think this is all just hitting me.' She whispered. 'That this...that you...it's real isn't it?'

Wilhelmina looked sideways at Daniel and then stepped forward, placing a hand on Claire's arm. 'It is.'

xXx

Marc and Amanda were ushered inside the cold, dank room. As the door slammed behind them, they both jumped. Marc was clutching his coat closed and Amanda was pressed into his side. They looked at Mills, sat at the table, a smug smile painted on his lean face. Amanda's eyes flicked to the lawyer stood at his side.

'Hey Uncle Stan, how's Aunt Louise?' She asked brightly, as if this were a chance meeting in the street, rather than some seedy blackmail scam. Marc dug her in the ribs.

Mills inclined his head towards his lawyer. 'You know this broad?'

Stan Kelly, cleared his throat and began opening his briefcase on the desk. 'I think for the purpose of this interview it would be appropriate for you to refer to me as Mr Kelly, Miss Tanen.'

Amanda leaned her body towards the man. 'Miss Tanen – _Sommers.'_

Kelly attempted a smile, but on his worn, weary face it looked more of a grimace. 'Quite.' He clicked the lock on his briefcase and withdrew a document. 'Now as you are aware, my client has become privy to some rather sensitive information, courtesy of his cellmate, Mr Owens. Carrying a burden of this magnitude has caused no end of stress for Mr Mills. And while nothing can take away from the moral strain this has placed upon him, we feel some financial compensation may cushion the blow.'

'Of course you do.' Marc answered sarcastically.

The lawyer took a step forward and Marc jumped back in fright, eliciting a laugh from Mills at the man's obvious fear. Kelly lifted his hand to offer the document to Marc and Amanda. Marc looked at it as if it would bite him, Amanda snatched the paper.

'I think you will find Mr Mills has made a very generous offer in return for his, shall we say, discretion.'

'Aww what a nice way to say "pay up and he'll shut up".' Amanda sang.

Amanda and Marc quickly scanned the paper until their eyes fell on the monetary value. Their eyes widened. 'This? This is the amount you want? I thought that was a phone number!' Amanda choked.

xXx

Daniel and Wilhelmina had left Claire in the meeting room and were standing outside the door of another room, one which they knew held Connor inside. They stood side by side, staring at the door, as if somehow they could see through it. Wilhelmina took a deep breath and looked at Daniel. 'You ready?'

He lifted her hand to his mouth and kissed it. 'Ready.'

Willie nodded to the guard stationed beside the door, he lifted his cap at her and reached forward to grip the handle.

As the door swung open, her breath hitched in her chest as she saw Connor sat at the table, his eyes lightening as he saw her and instantly darkening to steel when he saw Daniel beside her. They stepped in the room and the guard closed the door behind them. No one spoke as they both sat down.

Connor smiled, 'So, you brought your little boy toy. You're that desperate to prove you're over me?'

Wilhelmina ignored him. 'Why Connor, why did you tell Hector Mills what I told you?'

Connor screwed up his face. 'What?'

'He's blackmailing us. You spilled your guts to a man incarcerated for fraud, what did you think would happen?'

'Well you spilled yours to someone incarcerated for embezzlement, what did _you _think would happen?'

'You did it on purpose?' Her voice lowered to a whisper, not wanting to believe it.

He tried to continue smiling at her, hold her gaze and hurt her, but he couldn't do it. He sighed. 'No, I didn't know anything about it. I didn't think.'

'You never do, do you Connor?' This was from Daniel.

'Oh it speaks!' Connor leaned across the table, 'If there is one thing you should know about me Meade, it's that I would NEVER hurt her.'

Daniel laughed, 'Stealing from her, almost ruining her and fleeing the country doesn't register to you as hurting her then?'

'Listen you sorry son of a bitch...'

'STOP!' Willie yelled. The two men stopped and looked at her. 'We didn't come here so that you two could engage in some pissing contest.'

Connor leaned back in his chair, still staring hard at Daniel. 'Then why are you here?'

'We need your help.'

Connor laughed. 'You expect _me_ to help _him_.'

Willie put her hands on the table and leaned forward. 'I expect you to help me. Talk to Mills, Connor, if he blabs then we...I will lose everything. There will be no Elle, no Mode, and in all likelihood I will end up like you, wasting my years in a prison cell. Is that what you want?'

Connor eyed Willie's hands resting on the table and his own twitched, wanting to reach for them. Daniel saw the involuntary movement and moved his own hand to cover hers. Connor smirked at the man's obvious attempt to keep his hands off Wilhelmina.

'So, this thing, you two...you're for real?' He couldn't hide the animosity in his voice.

'Connor, I told you, we're not here to talk about that.'

Connor held up his hand. 'You want my help? Then you answer my questions. Are you in love?'

Both Daniel and Wilhelmina tensed visibly, their eyes staring straight ahead. Connor could see their discomfort and laughed. 'Not talked about that yet huh? Well isn't this deliciously awkward. You know Danny, she hates saying it first...said it to me though.'

Daniel's eyes bored through Connor's decidedly smug face. 'How we define our relationship has nothing to do with you.'

'Getting defensive?' He laughed; 'Mommy dress you in your big boy pants today?'

'Connor.' Willie interrupted. 'Stop this, I need you, I need you to help us. Please Connor, after what you put me through...do this for me. You said you still loved me, prove it.'

Connor's gaze was solely on Wilhelmina now. 'You still expect me to help after you parade him in front of me, when you know how I still feel about you?'

'Yes.' She answered simply, 'Because, you know, if you don't, I will _never _forgive you Connor...never.'

Connor nodded slowly. 'I'm going to need something in return.'

Wilhelmina rolled her eyes. 'What, if it's more money then I might have to hit you.'

He laughed. 'Not money.' His eyes lingered on Willie.

'Don't even fucking think about it.' Daniel growled.

Connor laughed again. 'Mind's always in the gutter, isn't it Meade? What I was going to say is, I want ten minutes alone, to talk...with you.' He looked straight at Daniel.

'No!' Willie shouted, and at the same time she heard Daniel reply: 'Fine.'

She turned to look at him. 'Not gonna happen Daniel!'

He brought a hand to her jaw, could feel the waves of hatred coming from Connor. 'It's fine, ten minutes, there's a guard right outside...besides; he just wants to talk.' He turned to Connor, 'Right?'

Connor nodded, 'Right.'

Wilhelmina looked between her ex and Daniel and let out a shaky breath. Angrily, she grabbed her purse and stood; she knocked at the door to be let out and then swept from the room, leaving the two men staring at each other.

xXx

A couple of rooms down, Marc and Amanda were still staring at the paper in their hands. The amount of money the man wanted in return for his silence was enough to feed a small nation for a year.

'You can't be serious.'

'Hey, I'm traumatised by all this. I can't eat, I can't sleep, I'm just so scared that I'm gonna slip up and land that lovely Ms Slater in a whole heap o' trouble, a bit of lining in my wallet would help me rest a bit easier if you get what I mean?' He smiled.

'Lining in your wallet? You gonna line it with gold bars?' Marc drawled.

Mills pointed at him. 'Good one.' He turned to his lawyer, 'I like this one.'

Marc gulped again and fished his inhaler from his jacket, wheezing softly. Mills and Kelly laughed at his nervousness. Amanda suddenly slammed her hands on the table, making everyone jump. 'You listen to me Sally, you don't wanna push me. Now either you squeal or you'll be sleeping with the fishes, capiche?!'

The two men opposite her looked at her in confusion and amusement. Marc pulled her elbow and dragged her into the corner and they huddled together, back turned. 'Amanda, what the hell are you doing? They have no one to squeal on, we don't want info, Wilhelmina said give them what they want and oh wait, you're not Don Corleone!'

'I thought we could play the whole good cop, bad cop thing. You know, get them to 'fess up.'

He shook his head. 'What are you talking about? They have nothing to confess! They are openly blackmailing us.'

She squinted. 'Okay, I totally gotta be honest, I did not understand that. I wasn't really paying attention, because my hair has been doing this frizzy thing and I was worried that...'

'Mandy! Focus, please!' Marc snapped and closed his eyes. He turned back to the two men and threw the end of the scarf around his neck. 'Gentlemen, Ms Slater had instructed me to tell you that she concedes. You will get your money in return for your continued silence in this matter.'

The man in the chair sucked his teeth. 'You know, I gotta say, I'm a little disappointed if truth be told. Was kinda hoping I'd asked for too much and Ms Slater and I could come to some...uh...other arrangement.' He leered.

Marc grimaced at him. 'I'm sure she'll be crushed that she missed her chance.' He deadpanned.

Mills laughed. 'How long 'til I get the money?'

Marc remembered Wilhelmina's words to him last night. _They never accept your first offer, they will always try and cut your time in half. Now I need two weeks minimum to get everything in order before we can return to Mode._

'Four weeks.' Marc answered.

Mills laughed. 'You have two.'

_She's a genius. _'Fine, it will be tight, but we can do it. Two weeks.'

Hector Mills nodded and stood from his table, for the first time they saw his hands were still shackled. Marc and Amanda shuffled into the corner as Mills and his lawyer walked past them. Kelly knocked at the door and a guard came in to retrieve Hector. Stan Kelly nodded in their direction as he left.

'Bye Uncle Stan, love to Aunt Louise!'

xXx

Wilhelmina was sat in the communal waiting area, Claire was sitting down, watching her pace back and forth. 'Will you sit down! You're making me nauseous.'

'It's been more than ten minutes!'

'Wilhelmina, what do you think will happen? We are in a state prison for the love of God!'

Willie sighed. 'Connor has a way of getting inside your head.'

'No, Connor has a way of getting inside _your _head. Daniel is smarter than that.'

Willie stopped pacing long enough to shoot Claire a look. The adjoining door buzzed and Wilhelmina whipped her head towards the sound and groaned in annoyance as Marc and Amanda stepped through.

'Well?'

'Hook, line and sinker.' Marc said smugly.

'We have the time we need?'

'Two weeks.' He nodded.

She sighed. 'Good, that's one less thing to worry about, for now, at least.'

Amanda looked around the room. 'Where's Daniel?'

xXx

Connor was still leaning back in his chair, appraising Daniel and smiling strangely. Daniel couldn't figure out what he was thinking or why he wanted to see him alone, but he wasn't going to give him the satisfaction of refusing.

'Daniel Meade and Wilhelmina Slater.' He laughed. 'Have you actually said it out loud yet? Heard how ridiculous it sounds?'

'I don't care what you think.'

'That's good. You will care what the rest of the world thinks though. Your friends, your family.'

Daniel smirked. 'Everyone important to me already knows, and they're dealing with it just fine, thank you.'

Connor's smirk faltered at this piece of information. He hadn't banked on their relationship being common knowledge quite yet. 'You think you have what it takes to be with her?'

Daniel didn't answer him so Connor continued. 'She's a very demanding woman Daniel. Intellectually, mentally...physically; that was one part I could always keep up with though.' He smiled at Daniel whose eyes narrowed as he listened to his speech.

'It doesn't bug you? That my hands have been where yours are now; my lips kissed the places you do now; I shared that bed you now lie in with her?'

Daniel swallowed as Connor threw up the things he himself had said to Wilhelmina. Remembering her reply to him he smiled, more sure of himself and leaned closer to Connor. 'It did, but every time I touch her, it removes a trace you left on her. Every kiss I place on her lips, her body, erases one you made.' He lowered his voice, 'Every time I make her scream my name...pushes yours further out her head.'

Daniel barely had time to let his mouth pick up in the smirk he knew was forming when he felt the fist connect with his face. By the time he realised what was happening, Connor had launched himself across the table and pushed Daniel backwards in his chair. Daniel felt his back hit the ground with a thump and the wind was knocked out of him. Struggling to breathe, he felt the weight of the other man bearing down on him.

Connor grabbed a fistful of Daniel's shirt and pulled his head and shoulders off the floor, his other hand was balled into a fist and repeatedly hit Daniel in the face. Daniel raised his hands to attempt to stop Connor raining blows upon him but did not have the strength to fight back.

'You'll...never...ever...have her...like...I...did!' He shouted each word between punches.

xXx

The four people standing in the waiting area heard the almighty crash and stared at the door. Wilhelmina looked at Claire, the two women exchanged worried glances and Willie rushed to the door. 'Open the fucking door!' She yelled at the guard.

The man behind the desk pressed the button without argument. As it buzzed; Wilhelmina, Claire, Marc and Amanda tore through it. They ran to the room that Connor and Daniel were in. The guard stood blocking the way, ignoring the obvious sounds of fighting coming from the room.

'Move!' Wilhelmina screamed at him.

'Can't do that ma'am.'

'Someone could be hurt, my son is in there!' Claire yelled from the back of the group.

'Don't know what you mean ma'am.'

Wilhelmina looked at the man, clearly confused, and then she spied it; a bunch of crisp hundred dollar bills in his breast pocket. 'He knew.' She whispered.

'What?' Marc asked her.

'He knew, Connor knew I would bring Daniel. Get out of my fucking way!' She used all her strength to grab the man by the shoulders and pull him out the way. Six other hands joined hers, as Claire, Marc and Amanda helped her move him. With the guard successfully removed from her path and being held by Marc and a freakishly strong Amanda, she threw the door open.

The scene that met her she knew would haunt her for years to come. Daniel was prone on the ground, she couldn't even tell if he was conscious or not. Connor was still leaning over him, punching into his torso now, his breath coming out in grunts, exhausted by the exertion of his physical assault on the man beneath him. His fist was red with Daniel's blood.

'Daniel! Connor, get off him!' Willie screamed.

She ran in the room and tried to move Connor, he was too heavy for her to move. The guard, seeing the severity of the attack before him, sprang forward and tackled Connor to the ground. As Connor fell beside Daniel, Wilhelmina knelt down and leaned over Daniel's body.

'Daniel!' She shook him, 'Daniel!'

He moaned and moved his head slowly, opening his eyes and licked his blood stained lips. 'Oh thank God.' Willie exclaimed. 'Can you stand?'

He nodded slowly and she helped him to his feet. Connor, seeing Daniel holding onto Wilhelmina, was once again incensed and broke apart from the hold the guard had on him and lunged for Daniel. He landed his fist on his face and pulled his arm back violently, preparing for another hit, when he felt his elbow connect with something hard. Turning, he saw that Wilhelmina had tried to grab his arm to prevent him hitting Daniel and had been caught in the crossfire. She was facing away from him, cupping her face, when she turned around Connor saw the beginnings of a bruise on her right cheekbone and eye.

'Oh God...Willie, sweetheart...I'm sorry, I didn't mean...' Connor reached for her and she shirked from his touch.

'Get your fucking hands away from her!' Daniel growled, he walked past him pushing Connor into the arms of the waiting guard. Daniel cupped Wilhelmina's face and looked at the damage Connor had done. 'Are you okay?'

She let out an incredulous laugh. 'Am I okay? Look at you Daniel...we have to get you to a hospital, you might need stitches.'

He moved his head from her touch as she tried to survey what Connor had done to him. 'I'm fine, a clean-up and some Asprin and I'll be right as rain.'

The guard started removing Connor from the room and he started struggling against the hold he had on him. 'She loves me! Do you hear me? She still loves me Meade!'

Wilhelmina pushed past Daniel. 'I don't love you Connor, I love him!' She yelled.

Connor stopped struggling and there was no noise, spare the cuffed man's erratic breathing.

'No you don't.' His tone had turned his statement into a pleading question.

She refused to answer his strained plea; she only continued looking at him because she could feel the eyes of everyone else upon her. She did not turn to face Daniel, did not reiterate the words she had so carelessly thrown out in her anger with Connor.

Their attention was once again caught by Connor scuffling with the guard, this time he was successfully removed from the room. Amanda and Marc stood by the door smiling at her; even Claire looked to have the beginnings of a smile on her face.

'Oh yes very good, Ice Queen has emotions, blah blah blah, surprised her face hasn't cracked, etcetera etcetera, can we go now?' She waved her hands in the air and walked past them.

Daniel, although bloodied and bruised, walked past the trio, after her, with a smile on his face. Marc and Amanda started walking after them. 'Can I be bridesmaid?' Marc quipped.

'Ooh can I be your something borrowed.' Amanda added and Daniel's laugh could be heard bouncing off the walls. Claire shook her head and smiled, following the party down the hall.

xXx

Daniel sat on Wilhelmina's couch, that night, wearing a giant fluffy bathrobe. At Wilhelmina's insistence he had gone to the hospital, turned out he had needed six stitches to a gash on his cheek but by some miracle his nose had not been broken. He'd be a bit sore for a few days but once the swelling went down he'd be fine.

Wilhelmina walked in the room and sat down next to him. She had an icepack in one hand and a glass of water in the other. She handed him the water and reached into her cleavage, producing a small bottle, containing his pain killers.

'Anything else in there?'

'Nothing that concerns you, for the time being.'

'I got punched in the face, not the crotch Willie.'

'You have two cracked ribs Daniel.'

'Well, you'll need to be gentle then.' She rolled her eyes at him and brought the icepack to the swelling on his face. 'If you're gonna play nursemaid, you could at least wear the outfit.' He joked.

She pressed the icepack harder to his bruising. 'Ow.' He twisted his head away and laughed. 'You know you could use some of this too, that's quite a shiner you have there. How're you gonna spin that one?'

She shrugged, 'I don't know, some PETA nutcase. Face it; it's not hard to find someone who wants to hit me. What about you?'

'Nightclub, chat a girl up, burly boyfriend beats crap outta me. Wouldn't be the first time.'

She took the icepack away from his face and examined the stitches underneath. 'Are we gonna talk about this?' He asked her.

'Talk about what?'

'What you said, at the prison.'

She pouted and shrugged. 'What's there to say? I said it, you didn't say it back.' She thumped the icepack back against his face, making him wince.

'I didn't get a chance to.'

'It's fine.'

'Willie, I..'

'Don't! Don't say it only because you think I want to hear it.'

'I'm not, I really do lo..'

'Stop!'

He sighed loudly. 'Now what?'

'I don't want you to say it...not until you know everything.' She bowed her head and shook it slowly. 'I don't think I could handle hearing it then having you take it back.'

'Everything about what?' His tone instantly turned defensive.

She still didn't look at him. 'Connor....I kissed him.'

He went rigid under her touch. 'I mean, he kissed me and I tried to stop it, I swear...but I gave in and I kissed him back. It meant nothing Daniel...it was a moment of weakness. I'm only telling you because I don't want any more secrets. I...'

She was cut off by him moving her hand from his face and leaning forward, pressing his lips to hers. As he pulled away he whispered. 'I do love you, Willie.'

She smiled at him and ran her hand lightly down his face, tracing the bumps and bruises that Connor had inflicted upon him. She felt the guilt writhe in her stomach, feeling responsible for his condition. She felt him take her hand.

'Thank you for telling me.'

'I'm sorry.'

'You wanna make it up to me?' He grinned at her.

'Not while you look like Rocky Balboa, I don't.'

He laughed. 'But you loooove me' He teased her.

'Shut up Daniel.'


	23. Chapter 23

**323.**

Wilhelmina walked slowly into the bedroom, her bedroom, studying his form slumped over the chaise. She sneaked up behind him, and placed her hands on his shoulders. He turned his head to the side and smiled seeing her, leaning in to kiss her. She slid her hands down his arms and came to kneel behind him, with her chin on his shoulder.

"What's wrong?" she asked.

"Nothing," he said, placing his hand upon hers.

"Something's definitely wrong," she insisted, bringing her hands up his arms again, and massaging his shoulders. "Tell me."

"I'm nervous," he confessed, sighing. He twisted onto the chair, resting his back against the leather. She moved to straddle him and just stood there, watching him, sliding his hands casually over his shirt. "It's this whole thing, the fact that _the day _is coming."

"_The day_?" she asked, lifting an eyebrow. "You're getting married, and you didn't tell me?"

He smirked, grabbing her by her wrists and pulling her onto him. "No," he said, hugging her. "And if I was getting married, I would be getting married to you."

He felt her body stiffen and she sat up straighter, smiling awkwardly and looking away quickly.

"That was out of place," he said before she could say anything.

"No, it's just…" she tried, running a hand through her hair. "It's you. And it's me. And this is unlikely, weird, bizarre. And I'm getting used to it, but…don't push it. If you start doing the mushy stuff only because we said _it_, I swear I'm going to kick your ass."

"That was hardly a proposal, Willie," he said, matter-of-factly. She slid off his laps and came to lie next to him. He scooted to make room for her and circled her shoulders, keeping her close. "You take things far too seriously."

She pursed her lips together and shrugged. "Maybe," she agreed. "But you have a history for getting involved quickly."

He turned his head to her. "Says the person who declared her undying love for me just two days ago."

She faced him, too, grimacing. "Undying? I wouldn't say so. More like…for the time being. As long as you keep doing what you do in the bedroom there shouldn't be any problem."

She turned on her side and slid her foot up and down his calf, pressing her knee lightly against his crotch. He put a hand on her knee and stopped her, looking suddenly very serious. "You're not in love with me only because we have amazing sex, are you?"

"Of course not," she said, smirking and rolling off, standing above him. She brushed her lips against his briefly, and then pulled back. "But if that stops, I'm calling it quits."

He smirked and shook his head, sinking his hand through her hair and pulling her down to meet his lips again. He started caressing her back with his free hand, and groaned in frustration when the familiar ring of his phone interrupted them.

Wilhelmina rolled off him angrily, and stood up, her hands placed firmly on her hips. "You know Daniel, the ongoing interruptions were fine at first, arousing even, but now they're getting really annoying."

Daniel snorted and stood up, brushing past her, kissing her on his way. He reached the nightstand and grabbed his phone. He brought it to his ear, still looking at her, amused by her reaction.

"Daniel Meade," he said, putting his tongue out at her. His expression changed immediately when he heard the caller identify himself.

"Daniel," the person said, on the other hand.

His eyes widened lightly, while hers narrowed. "Connor," he whispered, slowly.

"I need to see you," Connor said.

"Yeah, right, so that you can finish the job?" Daniel asked, sarcastic.

"No," Connor insisted. "It's for Mills. I…Look, Daniel, this is not easy for me. But I am going to help you."

Wilhelmina took a few step closer and motioned for Daniel to give her the phone, but he slapped her hand away. "How do I know you're not trying to trick m-…us?" he added quickly, suddenly getting very territorial again. "The last time you said you wanted to help I ended up in the hospital."

"That bad?" Connor exclaimed, the self-contentment clear in his voice.

"Connor," Daniel hissed, warningly. "What's the point of this call?"

_I was just about to shag your ex girlfriend, _he thought.

"I know you might have a hard time believing me, but I assure you I don't have any hidden agenda. I just want to help Wilhelmina."

Daniel's hand reached out to grab Wilhelmina's, subconsciously, squeezing it. "Then why are you calling me?" he asked, never letting go of Wilhelmina's hand.

"Because I can't see her, Daniel," Connor said, lowering his voice. The sadness was clear in his tone, and for a second Daniel felt pity for the man. He knew, now that he had her, he could never bear the thought of losing her.

Daniel looked at her once more, then nodded. "Ok," he said, into the phone. "I'll be there this afternoon."

"Come alone," Connor asked, almost pleaded.

"I will."

He disconnected the call and placed the phone back on the nightstand. He reached out, seeking her, but she took a step back, folding her arms on her chest. "What was that all about?" she asked, blatantly not ok with what she had heard. "Why are you going to see Connor? You want him to kill you, this time?"

Daniel sighed and passed a hand over his face. "It's not like that, Willie," he tried to explain, but she pushed him hard backwards. He hit his back on the nightstand and reached his hand behind him, massaging the spot. "Ok, that was uncalled for." In response, she pushed him again and he hit the nightstand again. He sighed and rolled his eyes to the ceiling. "Stop that."

"Fuck you," she said, lifting an eyebrow and turning to walk away. He was faster and grabbed her by her shoulder, spinning her around, so that she was facing him. "What?"

"I'm the one who should be asking that."

"You're going there after what he did to you!" she said, incredulous. "Are you that dense?"

"It's different. He wants to help us," he told her, pulling her to him, but she resisted. "Come on, I know the guy."

"No, Daniel," she cut him off. "_I _know the guy. _I _don't want you to go there, and if you're going then I'm coming with you."

"You can't," he said, closing his eyes ready for the outbursts. When it didn't arrive, however, he opened them again and saw that she was simply staring at him. "You can't come," he repeated, slowly. "He doesn't want you there."

Wilhelmina's lips trembled slightly, then she bit her bottom lip. "I don't want you to go," she repeated.

"There's nothing you can do about it," he said, knowing very well he was risking, playing the _man card _with her. "I'm going, and I don't want to hear another word about it." He looked at her, and pulled her into a hug, this time she didn't resist: on the contrary, her arms circled his waist and held him close. "Willie, I'm not going anywhere. He's not taking me away from you. And even if he tried, I would still come back. You're way too important."

Wilhelmina pulled her head back, to look up at him. "See? You're either a jerk, or a sappy, lovesick puppy." He saw the hint of a smile on her face and bent down, picking her up.

"It's ok," he said, throwing her on the mattress. "I'm still good in bed."

***

"I still don't get why you want me here," Betty whispered to Daniel in the small room. She was drumming her fingers on the metallic surface of the table in the visitors area. Daniel, sat next to her, was nervously biting down on his nails. She slapped his hand away from his mouth. "Stop doing that."

"Stop slapping me," he hissed, childishly.

"Why did you bring me here?" she asked again, looking nervously to the closed door ahead of them. "I'm sure you could have dealt with Connor perfectly well without me."

Daniel turned to face her and pointed to the band-aid on his face. "_This _clearly doesn't support your theory."

"Why should he keep himself from beating you down, only because I'm here?" Betty asked, pinching the bridge of her nose. "That's stupid."

"No, he won't do anything, but just in case…I want someone to alert the security outside."

"And you think he wouldn't just tackle me and kick me?" Betty hissed, tapping his foot on the floor insistently. "You should have just brought Wilhelmina."

"He doesn't want to see her, I told you that already," Daniel explained again. "I thought I should bring someone he has nothing against."

"He tried to blame me for all the money disappearing from the accounts."

"See? No hard feelings there."

She was about to open her mouth and reply, but they heard the distinct click of a key turning inside a lock, and the door opened up, revealing a handcuffed Connor. He walked in slowly, the guard right behind him, and sat down. Daniel looked at the man's hands and motioned for the guard to free him. The guard did, and Connor massaged his wrists.

"Thank you," he said.

Daniel simply nodded, and with a nod to the guard too he asked him to leave the three of them alone. He returned his gaze upon Connor's, and they were silent until they heard the door being locked, and there was only the three of them.

Connor was the first to talk, noticing the colorful presence by Daniel's side. "Hello Betty."

The girl mumbled something, looking away. Daniel intervened, clearing his throat. "Connor, what do you have?"

"I talked to Mills," he said slowly, massaging the back of his neck. "He thinks he's got you all wrapped around his finger. He says you agreed to give him the money."

"We had to," Daniel explained. "We needed to buy a little time to speed things up. He gave us two weeks, we're working to have everything ready for that deadline, but it's hard. We have the softball game, legal issues…It's difficult. That's why we came to you, at first. We needed your help. And you sent us away."

"I called you back, didn't I?" Connor whispered, bittersweet.

Daniel leaned over the table, on his elbows. "Connor, what do you have?" he repeated.

"Not much, but I think I can help you. It's just something you might use if he tries and tried to trick you before the due deadline," he started explaining. "Mills has a…traffic. Drugs, the usual. He's directing it from the prison, but he has people everywhere. I could give you a few names, you could use it against him if he tries anything. But I'm not sure it would stop him. He's already in jail after all, and he's not the kind of man to be scared of spending a few more years in this place."

"What you're saying is…Mills is a drug dealer?" Daniel asked, and Connor nodded. "You can give me the names? I mean, are you sure they would help us?"

"I'm not sure of anything, Daniel, but you can try," Connor continued. "You're in a huge mess, and there's nothing much you can do, but it's always good to have roads open." He took out a piece of paper, folded, from his pocket, and slid it over the table, to Daniel, who snatched it and put it safely in his breast-pocket.

"You're not sending us to some dangerous hatchet man?" Betty whispered.

Connor looked at her and shook his head. "I'm not," he said. Then, he turned to Daniel. "I'm over it. She can choose whomever she wants, and clearly she chose you. I meant it when I said I don't want to hurt her…That's why I'm stepping aside."

Daniel looked at him, then nodded. The two men stood up, and Connor stretched out his arm. Daniel took his hand and shook it, weirdly feeling this would really be the last he would see of Connor. As he turned away, Betty by his side, and walked up to the door, he looked at his former friend one last time.

He had won, eventually.

***

The two friends were walking down the dark alley. They were holding onto each other as if their lives depended on it, and judging from the place they were in, it probably was the case.

"I don't get it," Amanda whispered, looking around. "Why is it that every time there's a dangerous mug around I have to be involved? Didn't they use to say _Save the cheerleader, save the world_?"

"You were never a cheerleader," Marc pointed out, his hands holding onto Amanda's arm desperately. "I, on the other hand, was. Maybe you should just handle this on your own."

Amanda grabbed him by the collar of his shirt. "Try and leave me alone, and I swear you'll never live to see another episode of _American Idol _in your life."

Marc gulped, and the pair of them started walking down the alley again. Somewhere, not far, a door slammed, and the two of them jumped, shrieking.

"This is not funny," Marc said, hastily. "So not funny. Wilhelmina owes me a lot of dollars, for this one. I swear, I'm gonna make her pay every last cent."

They saw a shadow coming through the fog, and they stopped dead on their tracks. A man slowly came into view, eyeing them; he stopped a mere meter away from them. He was young, good looking, but clearly not a Harvard graduate. His long hair was dirty, and messy. His nose was pierced, and a ring was dangling from the point of it. His dresses were wrinkled and too large for him, as if he'd lost a lot of weight in too little time.

"You Marc and Amanda?" he asked, his voice low and throaty. They nodded, their eyes wide and their legs shaking. "Follow me."

Amanda shook her head wildly, but Marc dragged her with him, following the guy. He lead them round the corner, and held a metallic door opened for them. The two walked past the door, still holding close onto each other. Amanda kept looking back, as the man closed the door and followed them inside.

Marc squeezed her arm and she turned around, suddenly feeling like crying. It was a small, dark room, with a single table in the middle and a lamp on it. In the shadows, leaning against the walls, they could see three people. They couldn't really make out their faces, nor their facial expressions, but they were big.

"Marc," Amanda whispered, leaning in. "I'm not usually one to say no to four big hunks, but the tattoos and the place are putting me off."

Marc shot her a look, silencing her. The man who had lead them there walked up to the table and pulled up a chair, sitting down. He reached into a pocket and pulled out a knife.

"Marc I don't want to die," Amanda whispered, turning around and heading to the door, but Marc stopped her, holding her in place. "Marc, I have too much to accomplish! I still have that sex tape to release, I'm sure it'll make for a good living even if Mode shuts down."

"Are you two done?" came a thunderous voice from the shadows.

The young man who'd brought them there smirked, looking at Amanda, and shook his head, amused. He put the knife down, and leaned on his elbows. Marc, instinctively, reached into his breast pocket.

"What do you want?" the man asked, grabbing the knife again and turning it in between his fingers. "I mean, not that I mind having such a cutie pie in my room," he added, looking Amanda up and down. "You don't look exactly like the type of people who would need someone like me."

"On the contrary," Marc started, but Amanda cut him off.

"You think I'm a cutie pie?" she said, smirking and wiggling her backside lightly.

"Mandy," Marc hissed. "Trust me when I say this is not the right moment to be a skank?"

Amanda closed her mouth, but kept looking seductively at the man, who was rather enjoying the girl's antiques.

"I'm sorry," Marc continued, putting on a smile. "We…we called you, because we need some…uh…"

"How much do you want?" grunted one of the man they couldn't quite single out. "Stop wasting our time."

Marc took a deep breath, thinking about his beloved inhaler laying on the table of his dinner room. "Uhm…It's the first time…What would you…"

The man sitting at the table reached into his pocket and when he brought his hand on the table he had a medium plastic bag in his hand, full of blue pills. "This," he said, pointing to the bag, "…is the finest stuff you can ever wish for. Trust me, you'll feel like you're a whole new person. It's a Mills guaranty."

"Mills?" Amanda asked. "Oh, you mean your _boss,_" she added, putting emphasis on the word.

"Hector Mills himself," the mug exclaimed.

"I heard of him…" Marc drawled. "But I thought he was in jail?"

"Oh he is, but that doesn't stop him," he said, matter-of-factly. "Or us."

Marc and Amanda nodded; they looked down at the plastic bag that he had placed on the table, and Marc took a tentative step forward. He reached down, to take it, but the other man slapped his hand away.

"Shall we talk compensation, fist?" he said.

"Yeah, sure," Marc remembered, quickly reaching into his pocket and taking out the money Wilhelmina had given to him. "How…how much would that be?"

"Oh, I think a thousand will be perfectly fine," he said, eyeing the bundle in Marc's wallet.

"A thousand?" Amanda exclaimed, raising an eyebrow.

Marc turned around, narrowing his eyes to silence her.

"Yes," the man said, leaning over to the side to look at her over Marc. "That, or you could just spend a few hours with me, honey."

Marc put the money down on the table and grabbed the plastic bag. "She's not going anywhere," he said, going back to Amanda. "She's a junkie. And a lesbian. And she gets very clingy. You don't want to have her around, trust me."

The other man drew the money and counted it, seemingly satisfied. He stood up again and nodded his head, stretching his hand out. "It's been a pleasure."

Marc and Amanda looked down at the hand, and they both took a step back. "I'm sure it was."

The man laughed and snapped his fingers. One of the men who'd been standing in the shadows came forth, walking towards them. Marc's eyes widened taking in the immense, bald man. Once he was closer, he circled them and walked to the door leading on the alley. Marc quickly grabbed Amanda's hand and dragged her away. Once they were just outside the threshold, the door slammed shut behind them.

They looked around and as soon as they were sure they were alone, they started running.

"You know Mandy," Marc said, in between short bursts. "If there's anything Wilhelmommy and I learnt from her gorgeous, psycho, sparkles-loving sister…" They stopped as soon as they were on a more crowded street, and Marc reached into his breast-pocket, the one where he usually kept his inhaler, and took out a small black device. "Always keep a recording."

Amanda looked at the tape-recorder and smiled, breathing hard from the running. "It's the first time you called her Wilhelmommy," she exclaimed.

Marc laughed and linked his arm to hers. "I guess you're rubbing off on me."

***

"Wilhelmina Slater!"

She looked round, in the crowded restaurant she'd just walked in, and immediately saw the man waving at her from a table not far away. She smiled, lifting a hand as a greeting, and walked amongst the table.

"Joe!" she exclaimed, leaning in and kissing him on both his cheeks. The man pulled a chair out ofr her and she sat down, placing her coat and bag on a free chair nearby. "It's been too long," she said, smiling at him genuinely.

"I know," he said, shaking his head. "But Karl has me working non-stop. Managing the Chanel House is a full-time job, you think _Chanel _before you go to sleep, and wake up in cold sweats yelling _Chanel_ in the morning. And sometimes during the night too."

Wilhelmina chuckled. "Happened to me when I worked at Mode, too."

Joe handed her one of the menus, and she studied him over it. He was still the same man she'd known for so many years, but something was different about him. He seemed happier now than he'd been in ages.

The waiter came by their table, and Joe Zee put his order in. Wilhelmina looked up and ordered the same as him. As the waiter walked away, she linked her hands on the table and leaned on her elbows. "So, how's my team captain?" she asked, tilting her head to the side.

Joe looked at her and grinned. "So, you decided you're definitely not going to play?"

She grimaced. "I'm getting old, Joe. Who knows, I might play, and I might just throw my arm along with the ball."

"Oh shut up," Joe Zee intervened, waving his hand."Wilhelmina Slater doesn't age! What's gotten into you?"

Wilhelmina smiled softly. "I have a lot of things going on," she said, with a deep sigh, thinking about all that she'd been doing behind the scenes. "But I'm fine."

"When's the game, again?" he asked, changing the subject, sensing her uneasiness.

"In a week. On Friday," she explained. "I need you there at 11 am, Joe. Not a minute later!" she exclaimed, lifting a finger. "Is that clear?"

He laughed at her bossy attitude. "Yes, ma'am."

She nodded, accomplished, and just as she was about to open her mouth again to say something, Joe Zee excused himself and stood up. She looked up and saw him wave at someone. She twisted on the chair and saw two man approaching their table.

She didn't know them, but she smiled politely as they hugged Joe Zee in turn, and turned to her.

"Oh my, isn't this the famous Wilhelmina Slater," one of them exclaimed. The other just smiled down at her.

"Wilhelmina, may I introduce you to Michel and Marty?" Joe said. Wilhelmina nodded and stretched her arm out, shaking the men's hands in turn. "They are the new Dior reps."

She froze and swallowed a lump that had formed in her throat. She difficultly went back to the fake smile, and managed to say just how delighted she was to finally meet them.

"It's our honor," the older of the two said, smiling profusely. "You know, we haven't really met, but we did have a run-in with one of your pupils."

Wilhelmina nodded. "Yes, I know."

"He's such a pro at what he does," the other one said. "Too bad he's too loyal to leave you, we tried to snatch him to work for Dior, but he refused."

"I know that, too," she repeated, growing uncomfortable.

"Oh well, don't let us interrupt your lunch further than we already did," the younger man exclaimed. "It's been an honor, Miss Slater. Joe, I'll call you later, I need to talk to you about the Campbell situation."

Joe Zee rolled his eyes and shook his head in exasperation, patting the man on his back. They walked away and Joe Zee sat back down on the chair, looking at Wilhelmina. Something in his eyes told her he was not going to let what he had just heard go unnoticed.

She tried to avoid the argument. "What's the Campbell situation?" she asked, adjusting the napkin on her laps.

"Just Naomi being her usual crappy self," he said quickly. "What's with _your _situation? Who did they try to bribe?"

Wilhelmina sighed and shook her head. "No one, really. It didn't happen, however, so no point discussing this."

"Oh, Wilhelmina Slater is not at ease."

"No, I'm not," she snapped.

"Is it that curly assistant of yours?" Joe asked, raising an eyebrow. "Because he was really good at doing what he did."

Wilhelmina ran a hand through her perfectly combed hair, looking at the ceiling. There was not a chance in Heaven they would ever stop mentioning just how good Marc was, was there?

"I know he's good," she said, shrugging. "But he can be good working for me too."

"Is that what he wants?" Joe asked, grinning suggestively. "I mean, I know what it's like when you have someone you're raising as your next-in-charge. But if his talent brings him to wider horizons…I don't see why you should keep him tied."

"I'm not keeping anyone tied."

"You are."

Wilhelmina narrowed her eyes, and Joe Zee smiled. "I love your jacket."

***

Daniel walked by Wilhelmina's old office, that morning, and stopped when he noticed the door was slightly ajar. The curtains were closed, so he couldn't see inside, but he stepped over the threshold. He immediately noticed the curtains had been pulled apart from the windows, and the room, which had been in the dark for months, was now shining again. It was still empty, all of Wilhelmina's old furniture was gone, but there was something in between those four walls that smelled just like her.

"Daniel," he heard his mother's voice behind him. She walked in and came to stand next to him, looking round. "I thought we should let the sunshine in before she comes back and blocks the light out."

"You missed her, didn't you?" he said, lifting an eyebrow and smiling widely.

"Absolutely not," Claire said, pursing her lips, suppressing a smirk. "But I'm glad I'll have someone to spite when I'm nervous. She's my punch-ball."

"Don't ever say that to her face," Daniel exclaimed, folding his arms and looking away. "We should have the office remodeled. I mean, I want the room to be ready when she comes back."

Claire snorted. "I wouldn't do that," she said. "She's peculiar, when it comes to furnishing. Remember that horrible crystal ball she had on the shelf, over there?" she asked, pointing to a spot on the wall. "That would always hurt my eyes."

"But I do love her white Christmas tree," he said, looking into the corner where she always used to have the tree set up. "That is classy."

"I admit that was not that bad," Claire said, grinning. She patted her son on the back and moved to walk away, but Daniel called her back. She turned and saw the peaceful expression on his face.

"Things will be different from the last time, right mom?" he asked, hopeful.

Claire looked at him. She didn't know if things would really be different, but she hoped they would. For once, she decided she had to believe in what Wilhelmina said she felt for her son, and she would never be the one to let him down.

"They will."

His phone rang, and judging from the light in his eyes when he read the ID of the person calling, Claire decided she should leave him alone. She closed the door behind her and walked away.

Meanwhile, in the room, Daniel let the phone ring a couple of times before answering. "Good afternoon, you gorgeous woman."

"I just spoke to Marc, they have the recording."

"You're so sweet," he said, sarcastic. "I'm coming over tonight, and we can talk about it."

"Ok," she said. "See you tonight…you handsome man."

***

Wilhelmina opened the door and he stepped in. She smirked, victoriously.

"I love it when I get my way," she whispered.

"I can see that," he agreed, leaning in and kissing her.

She pulled back and turned around. He closed the door and took off his coat, enjoying the feeling of familiarity of the scene. "Marc and Amanda are here, already?" he asked.

"No," she told him. He walked up behind her and circled her waist pulling her back into him. "But they will be shortly, no time for that."

As if on cue, the doorbell rang, and Daniel let go of her reluctantly. He walked back to the door and opened it, letting Marc and Amanda in. "This is getting awful familiar," he said.

"Shut up," Amanda exclaimed, playfully. "Oh my God, you have no idea of what we had to do for this tape. There were the worst guys ever, they were so dangerous, and we were in the smallest room, like you see in those mafia movies?"

"Amanda, do I look like I care how you got that tape?" Wilhelmina asked, raising an eyebrow. Amanda shut up immediately, handing her the recorder. She snatched it from the girl's hands and looked at it, triumphantly. "Now, how about you guys go get some wine?" she told the three of them.

Marc, Amanda and Daniel all agreed at once, walking contentedly towards the kitchen, leaving Wilhelmina alone in the dining room. Once she was sure no one was listening, she turned her back on the door where they'd disappeared and grabbed her phone from her bag. She quickly scanned through her phone book, and when she found the number she needed she dialed it quickly.

"Uhm…Good evening. This is Wilhelmina Slater. I would like to leave a message."

"For whom?"

"Connor Owens."

"Sure, ma'am."

"Just…tell him Wilhelmina Slater thanks him for what he did. And that…she says goodbye."

She disconnected the call, looking at the screen for what seemed like an eternity. She threw the phone on the couch and turned around, coming face to face with Daniel, who was leaning against the doorframe, holding two glasses of red wine in his hands. His expression was undecipherable.

"Daniel…" she started. "I was just…"

"It's ok," he said, with a small smile. He handed her the glass, which she took, confused. "What he did was…noble. I'm not saying I don't have any problem with him being your past…But I accept it. And it's time to move on. If he can, then why can't I? I'm fine. I'm your present."

"If you say you're my future, I might have to slap you till you're unconscious."

He circled her shoulders with one hand and sipped from his glass. "I won't," he said, smiling down at her. "But I know you're mine."

"Are you done being mushy?" came Amanda's voice from the kitchen. "There's only so much I can stand. I prefer it when you're horny and can't keep your hands off each other. At least I can have dirty thoughts!"

***

Connor checked the damage in the small mirror on his cell. The circle around his eye was quickly turning a deep shade of purple, and his lip was bleeding. He massaged his shoulder, painfully, and judging from the pain he felt every time he breathed, he might have a broken rib.

He thought back of the afternoon, after Daniel had gone away, when he'd gone back to the cell, and had found Mills waiting for him. Apparently, rumors were quick to spread in prisons, and somehow the fact that Daniel Meade was meeting with Connor Owens had reached the wrong ears.

He had fought back, so hard that the guards had to separate them, and had put them in two different cells. He'd refused to see the doctor, at first, but now he was regretting it.

"Owens," came a voice from the other side of the bars. He turned around and saw a cop standing there, handing a folded piece of paper through the cell door. He walked up to him and took him.

"I'd like to see that doctor," he whispered, before reading. The guard nodded and walked away. He sat on the cot and, trying his best to ignore the sharp pain torturing his body, unfolded the note. He skimmed through it, and smiled.

He crumpled it and threw it on the floor, leaning back against the cold wall. He looked at the ceiling, and felt proud of himself.

He had done the right thing.


	24. Chapter 24

She was lounging on her bed, watching Daniel towel himself off after his shower and thoroughly enjoying the view. She snorted in annoyance as her cell phone trilled, breaking her concentration. Pushing herself up from her pillows she snatched it up. 'This better be good,' she barked, by way of greeting.

'Say "Marc St James, you are my saviour".'

'Excuse me?'

'I just had a call from a guard at the prison. Seems Mills has got him in his pocket and brought him in on his little scam.'

She sat up straighter in the bed. 'Why is he calling you?'

'Mills is getting antsy, he worked Connor over pretty good in the yard today.' He paused, waiting for her reaction. Surprised when none came, he continued. 'He's upping our deadline.'

'What! How long has he given us?' Daniel heard the pitch of her voice and turned his attention to her, coming towards the bed, his body still dripping.

Marc took a deep intake of breath. 'Two days.'

'TWO DAYS! Well I suppose we'll have to play our little ace in the hole sooner than anticipated.'

'Which I got for you.' Marc sounded smug on the other end.

'Your point being?'

'Say, "Marc St James, you're my saviour",' he repeated.

She took the phone away from her ear and rolled her eyes at it, snapping it shut without a comment. Daniel took it from her and placed it on the nightstand. 'I'm guessing I don't need to ask what that was about?'

'Mills is giving us two days to give him the money,' she stated simply, shrugging her shoulders.

'You seem extremely calm about all this.'

'I think I'm just used to everything getting screwed up. We'll get around it, we always do.'

He ran his hand down her arm and moved in to kiss her. 'Daniel, get off the god damn bed, you're getting me wet.'

He waggled his eyebrows at her. 'You're still a pig.' She laughed. Her phone beeped and Daniel reached for it. He read it and laughed.

'Marc says he knows he's your saviour and you owe him some major swag.'

She rolled her eyes and smiled affectionately. 'That boy is an idiot.'

xXx

With all that had taken place the last time she was inside these walls, she was loath to come here again. She needed to, however: she needed to confront Mills with their little bargaining tool. Looking around the now familiar waiting room, her eyes fell on Betty, Marc and Amanda in turn. Lastly she came to rest them on Daniel, who was standing near the guard's station, looking anxious, with his hands stuffed in his pockets. She screwed her face up as she now realised just how many members of staff were currently missing from Mode.

'Tell me, does anyone actually work at Mode these days?'

'Does anyone actually work at Elle?' Betty countered, and Daniel chuckled as Wilhelmina shot her a look.

'Oooh, Betty got balls!' Amanda laughed.

Wilhelmina shook her head. 'Why are you all here anyway? I'm going in that room alone.'

'The hell you are!' Daniel exclaimed.

She spun round on him. Marc leaned in to whisper in Amanda's ear. 'And here we go. _I'm a big girl Daniel....It's dangerous Willie....I can handle it...But I wuv you...aww I wuv you too...mwah mwah...gag, puke!' _ He laughed at his own wit until he moved his head back and found Daniel and Wilhelmina staring at him; Daniel looking amused, Wilhelmina, not so much.

'Something to say Marcie?' Wilhelmina asked, eyebrow raised.

'No ma'am.' He pretended to zip his lips and stared ahead while Amanda shook in silent laughter beside him.

Wilhelmina rolled her eyes at the pair and repeated her question. 'Again, why are you all here? I told you this morning Daniel, that I don't need you getting in another jailhouse brawl! Marc, I need you at Elle; Amanda, don't you have some magazines in need of urgent reading? And Betty...you should be at your post at Mode. Honestly people, we're supposed to keep a low profile. What possible explanation could we give if we were all seen here together? It was a big enough risk the last time.'

Betty stared at Wilhelmina, arms folded across her chest. 'What possible reason would you give for Daniel being seen leaving your apartment at 5am?'

Daniel's eyes widened at his young friend's bravado, and Marc and Amanda scraped their chairs back in synchronicity as Wilhelmina shifted her attention to Betty.

'You have something to say?'

Betty pushed her glasses on the bridge of her nose and stood up, appearing braver than she felt. 'You stand here and give us lectures on being inconspicuous and how it's dangerous for us to be seen together. Yet somehow it's okay for you to risk it all sneaking Daniel in and out of your apartment. And you want to talk about dangerous? How about sending Marc and Amanda into a meeting with a known felon? How about sending them to meet drug dealers? How about leaving Daniel alone to take a beating from your ex boyfriend?'

Wilhelmina placed her hands on her hips and took three slow, deliberate steps until she was standing toe to toe with Betty. '_I _sneak Daniel in and out of my apartment? This is a two way street, I notice you're not laying any blame at the feet of your precious boss. Marc and Amanda knew exactly what they were getting themselves into...as did you. I expressly told Daniel I didn't want him alone with Connor, but he didn't listen. He has a mind of his own Betty...is that what's really got your poncho in a twist? That Daniel doesn't need you making his decisions for him anymore?'

'Willie...' Daniel warned, but she held out a hand to silence him.

'Don't try the sweet innocent 'little engine that could' with me sweetheart. I don't buy it for a second. I seem to recall a certain plucky, bushy haired, junior editor who was positively gleeful when she first learned of our plan.'

Betty swallowed, 'That was before I knew exactly what it would entail.'

Wilhelmina laughed dryly, 'What, you thought Daniel and I would sit down with Robbie and Arnaud and politely ask them to cease trading? _Pretty please with a cherry on top?_'

'I don't like the things you're forcing Daniel to do, I don't like who you are making him become!' She shot back, feeling a sudden surge of bravery.

'Force? You think Daniel is my puppet?' She laughed again. 'It must delight him to know what little faith you have in him. As for the person he's becoming? Confident, happy...independent from you. He doesn't need you organising his life anymore Betty. He doesn't turn to you with every little problem that comes his way. He comes to me...and that kills you. This has nothing to do with what we are doing to Elle. You're just jealous of the fact that you lost your little piggy to the big bad wolf. Deal with it Betty, if you can't...there's the door.'

Wilhelmina took a step back, Betty could feel a familiar burning behind her eyes, she looked to the side, determined not to let Wilhelmina make her cry. Marc and Amanda were staring at her, mouths wide, waiting to see if she'd reply or flee. Daniel remained next to the guard's station and was looking at Betty and Wilhelmina in turn, jaw clenched tightly in anger. Though Betty couldn't tell with who.

Wilhelmina walked to Daniel's side and shook her hair from her face, staring into Daniel's eyes. 'I'm sorry Daniel. I know she's your girl...but it needed to be said. I'm perfectly happy being labelled the villain when it's deserved, but not merely because it helps ease the conscience of others.'

Betty watched Daniel move his hand, almost imperceptibly, to squeeze Willie's arm and Betty felt the tears threaten to fall. 'You're right.' Betty choked.

All eyes fell on Betty as she continued softly. 'I wasn't prepared for how far this would have to go, wasn't prepared for the risks we would have to take. That's not Wilhelmina's fault though..it's my own naivety. And I sure as hell wasn't prepared for you two becoming...you know.'

'You think we were?' Daniel asked. 'Do you really believe I've not grown enough to make my own mind up? You really think I'm just a pawn in a bigger game...that I'm too stupid to see it?'

She shook her head. 'No, ' she whispered, 'I'm sorry.'

Daniel released Wilhelmina's arm and walked to Betty, putting his hands on her shoulders. 'It's okay. I know you're trying to look out for me. I know you care, but Betty, you can't place all the blame squarely on Wilhelmina. I knew what I was getting into; with both this plan with Elle and this relationship.'

She nodded and sniffed loudly, adjusting her glasses. 'Wilhelmina?' Wilhelmina turned to face Betty. 'I'm sorry.' She apologised to the woman she had been so used to blaming for all Meade and Mode's wrongs over the years.

Wilhelmina nodded curtly in acknowledgement. Daniel rolled his eyes at her heartfelt acceptance of the apology. 'And Wilhelmina's sorry too, she's still to learn how to make a point tactfully. Things needed setting straight but there's a right way to do it and she's sorry she upset you....AREN'T YOU!?' He directed the question to Wilhelmina.

She huffed and crossed her arms. 'Fine, I'm sorry if your feelings were hurt Betty.' She gave the least convincing sounding apology.

Daniel leaned into Betty's ear; 'I think that's the best you can expect from her.' He smiled at his friend who gave a watery smile in return.

'Are we done? Are we all besties again?' Wilhelmina said sarcastically.

Marc gasped. 'You said besties!'

'She's totally becoming one of us.' Amanda drawled.

Wilhelmina ignored the duo. 'Look, I appreciate all of you, you know, banding together for the cause, or whatever, but none of you needs to be here. Go home, go to work, go anywhere; just go. I'm talking to Mills alone."

'And like I said before; the hell you are.' Daniel responded.

'Daniel!'

'Why are you so adamant you're going alone? It is only Mills you're going to see, right?'

She narrowed her eyes. 'I'm going to pretend you didn't just ask me that.'

'Well why then!?'

'Daniel; you are not coming in with me. Mills will never respond to you, not now he knows you've been meeting Connor and from what the guards have told me he roughed Connor up pretty good. I'm not putting you in line for another hiding. Marc and Amanda have already gone above and beyond by getting this recording and Betty, well the girl's a wreck, one look from a felon and she'd dissolve into a puddle on the floor.'

Daniel was smiling at her, biting the corner of his lip. 'Why are you grinning?' She asked, annoyed.

'It's just..uh, I think this is kind of a moot point.'

'What?'

He arched his brows to indicate behind her, she turned around and saw that the chairs Marc and Amanda had been occupying were now vacant and the door leading through to the main body of the prison was softly closing. Her eyes widened and mouth fell open. 'What the hell!?'

'Guess you're not going after all.' Daniel smirked.

She threw her hands in the air. 'But they don't even have the recording!' She exclaimed, pulling the Dictaphone from her bag.

'Willie, Willie, Willie...' Daniel sang at her. 'Always make a copy, surely _you_ should know that? This is hardly your first attempt at blackmail.' He smiled.

She put her hands on her hips and fumed. 'Those sneaky, conniving little fools!' She calmed slightly and smirked. 'Guess I should be proud.'

xXx

Marc and Amanda walked in the room, feeling more confident than the last time they had visited. Truth be told, when they knew they were coming out to face the wrath of Wilhelmina Slater, this was a cakewalk. Mills sat, as he had done on their last meeting, behind the table. He was working a toothpick in between his lips and smiled inanely as they sat before him.

Amanda looked around. 'No Uncle Stan?'

Mills ran his tongue along his teeth. 'Not today, I figured if you're here to give me my money, I can get myself a cushy little transfer and not have to cut the slimy git in for a third.'

Amanda gasped. 'That's dishonest!'

'You're in a prison sweetheart. Its inhabitants are not best known for their honesty.'

'No you're known for blackmail, extortion and beating the crap out of your cellmates.' Marc's eyes were fixed on his.

'Well looky looky,' Mills laughed, 'Look who's getting brave. No inhaler today wheezy?' He laughed again at his own pitiful joke. 'Don't try and come the innocent anyway, the woman you're working for is hardly a stranger to the odd bit of blackmail. As for Connor, he had it coming, cardinal rule: don't screw over fellow convicts. He learned that the hard way.'

'Evidently.' Marc's eyes were uncharacteristically cold.

'So I guess that's both of your boss's boys with their faces all messed up. That's a shame, I'm betting she likes 'em pretty. You be sure and tell her I ain't even got a scratch from bustin' up Owens.'

'Or, just pulling this out of thin air, I don't and we get back to what we're here for.'

Mills chuckled. 'Have it your way princess, I'm guessing you're here to barter for more time.' He shook his head and sucked on his teeth. 'Not gonna happen. I know Owens told that pretty boy Meade something. I want the money now, or I start talking. You have the paperwork that Kelly gave you with the account details on it, an account that I expect filled by this time tomorrow.' He clapped his hands together loudly. 'So, I guess we're done here.'

He stood up and smiled at them, walking to the door. He was about to knock on it to signal to the guard outside to open the door, when he heard a click and a muffled, yet audible voice.

'_This is the finest stuff you can ever wish for. Trust me, you'll feel like you're a whole new person. It's a Mills guarantee.'_

'_Mills? Oh, you mean your boss.'_

'_Hector Mills himself.'_

'_I heard of him…But I thought he was in jail?'_

'_Oh he is, but that doesn't stop him…or us.'_

Marc and Amanda didn't turn to face him as Marc clicked the recording off and placed it back in his bag. They heard Mills turn slowly, he shuffled back to his seat and sat down, his expression unreadable. 'You think that will end this? Look around Nancy, I'm already in prison, a couple more years will be worth that kind of payout.'

Marc nodded slowly. 'True, but why risk it if it's avoidable.'

Mills thumped his fist on the table. 'I want my God damn money.'

'And you'll get it. All we're asking for is the original deadline. Our bosses may be rich in certain things but they need time to get that kind of cash together. You squeal, we squeal, it's a lose lose.'

Mills leaned back in his chair, rubbing his hand over his stubble. He suddenly leaned forward again and pointed a finger right in Marc's face. 'If you assholes try to play me…I've got people on the outside you know.'

'We just need the time,' he repeated.

Mills nodded. 'Fine, you've got the time. DON'T fuck it up!' He stood abruptly, causing the chair to fly backwards and walked to the door again, banging on it loudly. The guard opened up and Mills stalked from the room.

'Okay, that was the single most terrifying experience of my life.' Marc whispered to Amanda.

'I think I peed a little.'

xXx

'STOP TELLING ME TO CALM DOWN!'

'Willie, pacing and screaming at me is not gonna get them out of there any quicker.' Daniel tried to reason with her, exasperated.

She was about to launch another tirade at him when she heard the door buzz. Whipping around, her eyes narrowed to slits as she watched Amanda and Marc walk through the door. She quickly marched to them and Amanda jumped behind Marc, who used his bag to shield himself.

'Not the face!' Marc screamed.

She stopped inches from them. 'Idiots.' She snarled. 'That man is dangerous! We all know he has guards on his side. He already beat the crap out of Connor and he can more than handle himself, what the hell do you think he could have done to you!?'

Amanda peeked out from behind Marc. 'Aww, Mommy's worried about her kids.'

'This is not a game Amanda!' She yelled at her.

Willie turned her attention to Marc. 'I know I've asked you to do some truly heinous things in the past Marc, but if something where to happen to you I'd…' She left the sentence unfinished, Marc's face softened as he felt the sentiment behind her words.

Daniel walked up behind her and ran a hand from her shoulders to the small of her back. 'It didn't Willie, he's fine.'

'That's not the point,' she said softly. 'This started out as a simple plan: steal advertisers, bad mouth Robbie, increase Mode's circulation. How did we end up in a prison, trading threats with a felon? Putting people I…I care about at risk?'

He struggled to find an answer to appease her; guilt was still an emotion he was unaccustomed to seeing on her. Wilhelmina looked at all of them in turn, 'Can we just go please?' she asked when her eyes landed on Daniel.

He nodded. 'Sure, let's go.'

She started walking to the door and stopped, reluctantly turning to the rest of them 'Actually, we need to discuss one more thing. Betty, I understand if you want out, but if you're going you go now.'

The girl shook her head and spoke meekly. 'No, I'm in.'

Willie nodded. 'Fine then, I suppose you can all ride back with Daniel and I. We should probably go to Marc's apartment.'

'I'll call my mom; tell her to meet us there.' Daniel took out his cell and walked away from the group.

The rest of the group stood in silence, all trying to avoid each other's gaze, unable to deal with the amount of emotion which had just been displayed before them. Granted, it wasn't an abundant amount, but from Wilhelmina Slater, it was like a land slide.

After less than a minute of sheer awkwardness Daniel rejoined the group. 'I can't get a hold of my Mom…you know, I haven't heard from her today. We can stop at her place, have the meeting there, it's on the way.'

'Wonderful.' Wilhelmina replied, dryly.

Amanda clapped her hands. 'Yay, we're goin' to Grandma's!'

xXx

Marc, Amanda and Betty were squashed in the seats opposite Daniel and Wilhelmina in the town car. The ride had been uncomfortable, not least because of the heat; Wilhelmina had spent the duration with her arms folded and staring out the window. Daniel drummed his fingers on the leather upholstery and kept glancing in her direction, clearly wanting to speak but not in front of their young friends.

Amanda gasped, drawing Marc and Betty's attention to what she was looking at through the window. 'Oh my God!' The three of them chorused.

The car had turned into a side road and was approaching a wrought iron gate. Beyond the gate they could see acres of land, a picturesque manor adorning the horizon. They were in awe of the imposing house. 'You would never guess we were less than an hour away from the city.' Betty said in wonder.

The car halted in front of the gate, a small white wooden lodge sat to the left of it. An older gentleman stepped through the door. Daniel rolled the window down slightly and stuck his head out just enough for the man to recognize him.

'Afternoon, Earl.'

The man nodded once. 'Master Meade.' He walked back into his cabin and released the gate. It opened slowly and the car rolled through the gap, up the long gravel driveway to the house.

The car came to a halt at the foot of a large pillared staircase. The five inhabitants of the car got out, Daniel and Wilhelmina walked straight to the foot of the stairs, neither fazed by their surroundings. Betty, Marc and Amanda were taking in everything from the crunch of the gravel under their feet to the smell of the pine and oak trees enclosing the estate. Marc wanted to spin around and sing "The Hills are Alive."

'Are you done with your Julie Andrews moment?' Wilhelmina asked him.

He gasped as she read his mind. 'Sorceress!'

They walked up the stairs and Daniel pressed the intercom. After several seconds and no response from inside, the door opened and a maid ushered them into the hall. She saw Wilhelmina and her eyes widened and she scuttled away. 'I never liked that one.' Wilhelmina said, her eyes following her.

'Oh right 'cos you stayed here with Bradford!' Amanda exclaimed without thinking. Marc shut his eyes tightly at his friend's outburst. Willie and Daniel both chose to ignore it and cleared their throats, moving further into the house.

'Mom!' Daniel called.

No answer, they walked through to the reception room and found it empty. Daniel left the room and walked around the bottom floor shouting for his mother. Coming back in, he looked at the group, puzzled. 'Louisa said she's not here.'

'Great, let's go shall we?' Wilhelmina began brusquely walking to the exit when the main door opened and slammed shut.

The party made their way back into the hall and stopped short at the sight before them. Claire Meade, slumped against the mahogany carved door. Make up smudged, hair askew and clearly drunk.

'Mom!'

For the first time since entering, she noticed she had an audience. 'Daniel! Hello, aw my baby came to see me.' She laughed and walked towards him, arms outstretched and brought her hands either side of his face. 'And Betty… Betty, Betty, Betty.' She hugged the short girl to her. Seeing Marc and Amanda over Betty's shoulder she exclaimed, 'And Marcmanda!' She laughed at her drunken slip. 'The gang's all here!'

She released Betty and faced Wilhelmina, unsteady on her feet. 'And not forgetting you..Wilmi..Wil…you!' She pushed Willie's shoulder lightly, still smiling and Willie tensed in alarm as the older woman put a hand around her shoulders. 'You know…you're the most horrendous, bad, bad person….but you're growing on me.' She laughed again, a ridiculous, high pitched giggle.

'Daniel!' Willie shouted in panic. Daniel stepped forward and pulled his mother's arm, moving her away from Wilhelmina until she faced him.

'Mom, what the hell!? You're hammered! I can't believe you fell off the wagon!'

'Fell off? I think she took a great running swan dive off it!?' Willie shouted and stomped past them.

'Where are you going?' Daniel shouted after her.

'Coffee! Marc!' Marc went hurrying after her.

Amanda stood aside as Betty rushed to help Daniel maneuver Claire back into the reception room and unceremoniously deposited her on the couch. Amanda propped pillows up either side of her to keep her upright. Daniel knelt down at his mother's feet, holding her hand and looking in her eyes.

'Mom…why?'

She stared at him and laughed again. 'Why? My sweet, sweet boy. You love the devil and the devil loves you back.'

Daniel shook his head sadly as his mother continued to laugh. The phone rang, breaking the atmosphere in the room; Daniel walked to the mantle and answered it.

'Master Meade, it's Earl here. I thought you should know that there are reporters here; half a dozen or so.'

'What!? Do they know we're here?' He queried, suddenly afraid their whole cover had been blown.

'No sir, they are here to speak to your mother.'

'My mother?'

'Yes sir, apparently she had a mild…incident earlier.'

Daniel sighed, annoyed. 'Thank you Earl. Please don't tell the reporters that anyone but my Mom is here, and don't let anyone through the gates.' Daniel hung up the phone just as Marc came back in with a large cup of strong black coffee. He handed it to Daniel, who placed it in his mother's hands, ensuring she gripped it. 'Drink.' He urged.

Looking up, he saw Wilhelmina standing at the doorway, arms folded and looking at Claire with an indecipherable look on her face. He walked to her and took her elbow, leading her out the room. 'We've got a problem.'

'That's slowly becoming our motto.'

'There are reporters at the gates. Not for us, for my Mom. I don't know why.'

She raised her eyebrows. 'Oh, I do.' She held out her Blackberry for him, she had accessed the internet and it was currently displaying a news article. The headline reading; _Meade Matriarch's Sticky Fingers. _Daniel quickly scanned the story: his mother had been caught shoplifting from a boutique in Manhattan. The store had not pressed charges but a sales assistant had sold the story to the press. Daniel deflated. 'Again?'

'She's done this before?'

He nodded. 'When I first got involved with Molly….when she felt neglected.' He finished, quietly, full of guilt.

Marc, Betty and Amanda came out of the lounge to join them. 'She drank it; she's sleeping it off on the couch,' Betty whispered. Daniel nodded and tilted his head to the large kitchen in the back, motioning them to follow him through.

They filed in, one by one and sat on stools at the large island in the centre. 'There's an issue,' Daniel started. 'We can't leave.'

'Oh Daniel, of course. You have to stay, it's your mom.' Betty squeezed his arm, supportively.

'No…none of us can leave. There's reporters at the gate…for my Mother.'

'Why?'

'That doesn't matter, but for the time being, it leaves us stuck here.'

'Uh hello…town car, tinted windows.' Marc pointed out.

'And what happens when the reporters follow the car and we get out at the other end?' Willie shot down his suggestion.

'Look, when my Mom sobers up, she can take a car into the city and we can go after the coast is clear.'

He looked around them all, four faces nodded back at him, reluctantly.

Amanda squealed. 'Sleepover!'

xXx

At 10pm, roughly six hours after Claire had crashed out, she padded into her kitchen and stopped when she saw the angry faces looking back at her. 'Oh look, the Famous Five.' Her voice was raspy, she took a seat on a vacant stool and put her pounding head in her hands. Wilhelmina rolled her eyes at the woman's condition and got up from her own seat to retrieve her some water, she shoved the glass under Claire's nose and slammed painkillers on the marble surface in front of her.

'You look like something a dog threw up.' She threw the insult at her.

Claire put the pills in her mouth and drank deeply from the glass.

'Wow, you are rough…you just took pharmaceuticals from me, not worried it's arsenic?'

'The way I'm feeling, it would be a welcome release.' She looked up at her son. 'Why are you here?'

He shook his head at her. 'That's all you have to say?' He laughed, without humor. 'We were here to discuss the final meeting Willie and I are going to have with Elle's contributors for the next issue…make sure we don't get sued. I'll save the details for when your blood is less than 60% alcohol.'

Claire didn't care for her son's tone, especially in front of the rest of the inhabitants in her kitchen. 'Fine, know that you've graciously made sure I don't choke on my own tongue and you've given me a lecture you can go.'

He jumped off the stool. 'See that's where you are wrong. We can't go, we're stuck here until the reporters at the gate leave.'

'Reporters?' She asked, confused, her eyes slowly widening as realization hit her.

'Remember now?' His jaw clenched. 'We'll talk about it tomorrow when you've dried out and I've calmed down.' He walked from the room, grabbing Willie's wrist as he did so, taking her with him.

'Oh I don't think so!' Claire shouted from her position in the kitchen. Daniel and Wilhelmina both stopped and turned to face her. 'I am slowly coming to terms with…this.' She gestured them. 'But if you think, for a second, I am going to let it happen under my roof, you are horribly mistaken.'

Willie smiled, incredulous. 'You're kidding, right?'

'Mom, I'm 37.'

'Yes and she's triple that….it's still not happening,' Claire answered.

Wilhelmina brought both her hands to cover one of Daniel's. 'You know what _sweetie._' She put extra emphasis on the last word and Daniel rolled his eyes, she was not a pet name type of person. 'It's fine, I'll see you in the morning. Where am I sleeping?' Her tone changed as she addressed Claire.

'You'll have to make do with one of the guest rooms, I'm afraid we don't have any crypts.'

'That was a little weak dear, must be the gin diluting you.'

'Well I suppose you could have the room you used to frequent but the priests haven't been able to exorcise it.'

'Better.' She smirked at Claire, turning to Daniel. 'Goodnight _darling.'_ She drew out the word before bringing her lips to Daniel's, kissing him deeply, pulling his lip between her teeth. Not ceasing the kiss until she heard him groan. She winked at him and climbed the stairs.

'Okay, whose night just got a whole lot better?' Amanda asked.

Claire placed her hands on the marble surface and pushed herself up from the stool. 'I'm afraid for such a large house we have few guest rooms. Amanda, Betty, you will sleep in Alexis' room at the back. Daniel, you will have to share with Marc in your old room.'

Daniel closed his eyes and sighed, when he opened them again he found Marc at his side. 'Hey roomie.'

xXx

'You have two beds in here?' Marc asked, slightly crestfallen.

'Yes…thank God.' Daniel added, under his breath.

Daniel crawled in one and lay awake in the dark, pondering what was truly the most bizarre night of his life. He lay there for what felt like hours until he heard the soft snores from the other end of the room. Quietly peeling back the covers, he slid out the bed and tiptoed from the room.

Marc's eyes flew open as the door creaked shut. _I knew it!_

xXx

She was asleep, she stirred as she felt the covers being pulled back and a cool body slip in next to hers. She shivered as a cold hand touched the warm skin of her stomach and the sensation woke her. She felt the tongue on the curve of her shoulder. As she turned to protest, he instantly attacked her mouth and ran his hand down her torso, pleasantly surprised to find her naked. She arched her neck up, breaking the kiss and taking in a deep lungful of air. 'Daniel…no, stop.' She gasped as his kisses moved to her jaw , descending to her neck. She pushed at his biceps, moving him from her. 'I said no.'

He looked at her, eyes screwed, 'You're not seriously telling me you don't want to because of my mother?'

'I just don't want to give her any more ammo okay, I'm not doing it out of respect before you go getting that idea in your head. It's just, she's obviously having a hard time dealing with this…normally I would be more than happy to exacerbate your mother's unhappiness, but not right now. She needs to get that I'm not in this to score points over her. So, no matter how much I want to, if she doesn't want us together under her roof…so be it.'

Daniel propped himself up on his elbow. '_Under her roof?'_

xXx

'You're pretty Amanda,' Betty said, robotically, as she ran her fingernails up and down the blonde girl's spine.

'Say it like you mean it B!' she whined.

Betty's retort was cut short by the door to their room opening and Marc scurrying in, he jumped on the bed and snuggled in between them.

'Marc!' Betty shouted. 'Get out, what are you doing!?'

He shuddered. 'Daniel snuck out into Wilhelmina's room and his room is right next door….I so don't wanna hear what's going on in there.'

Amanda sat up in the bed. 'What room is Daniel's?'

Marc grabbed her shoulder and pulled her back down. 'Dear God woman, get a sex life!'

'What's that beeping?' Amanda asked.

'I don't know, some built-in radar that tells you when two people are having sex in the vicinity?' Marc snapped, draping an arm over his eyes.

'No, it's my phone, it must be out of charge.' Betty pulled herself from the bed and retrieved her phone from the windowsill. Turning it off, she looked out the window, into the expansive back garden. 'OH MY GOD!' She yelled.

'WHAT!?' Marc and Amanda both sat upright. When she didn't answer, they leapt from the bed and joined her at the window. Marc clamped a hand to his mouth to stem his laughter and Amanda's eyes bulged. 'Who needs Pay Per View?'

xXx

'No way, how did I even let you talk me into leaving the house?!'

'You know why,' he leered at her, looking up at her from his position in the pool.

'In case you have forgotten, this place is surrounded by reporters.'

'Yes, at the front of the house, we are at the back. Anyway, the gardens are surrounded by trees about a quarter of a mile away…we're completely hidden.' He quirked his brow at her.

She folded her arms over the robe he had given her, resolute. 'No.'

'Why are you pretending you're not going to give in? You wouldn't have followed me out if you weren't.'

She ran her tongue around her teeth, under her pursed lips, trying to think up a reason. 'I don't see my stylist until Sunday. I'm not getting my hair wet!'

He grinned. 'Pocket.'

She screwed her eyes and reached into the pocket of the robe, pulling out a clip. She glared at him. 'I hate that you know me.'

'Shut up and get in.' He laughed.

She bent down and picked up the boxers he had discarded. 'Or, I could take these and leave you butt ass naked out here.'

'But you won't.' He was still grinning.

'Damn you.' She swept her hair up, effortlessly, and clipped it in place. Untying the knot of the robe, she let it fall from her body. She sat on the edge of the pool and slid her body in.

Barely seconds after she felt the water envelop her skin, his arms were around her, pulling her body to his. He backed her up against the tile of the pool and ran his hands down her sides. Reaching her ass, he lifted her and her legs wrapped tight around him. The sensation of the water making her feel weightless as his hands moved to lightly hold her thighs. His upper body floated away from her slightly and she leaned back, giving him access to her torso. He lowered his head, slowly and deliberately tracing his tongue over her breasts, increasing the pressure and nipping with his teeth. He felt her grind her pelvis against him and he moaned as he rubbed against her core.

She moved herself back up, wrapping her arms tight around his neck and kissed him, expressing her need through her kiss as she pushed her body tighter to his, groaning. He released her thighs and she broke the kiss in protest. As her feet hit the surface he looked at her and grinned before taking a deep breath and submerging himself. Her confusion was only momentary as she exclaimed 'Oh my God.' when she felt his tongue against her under the water. The mix of his ministrations and the water lapping around her was exquisite torture. Just as she felt her breath quickening and the familiar flush creep up her body, his mouth left her and he broke the surface, gasping for air and smiling arrogantly.

'Sorry, had to breathe.' He panted.

'Damned oxygen.' She growled, reaching a hand to the nape of his neck and drawing him close.

He lifted her thighs again and positioned himself at her centre. Her hands wove into his wet, slicked hair as he pushed into her; trapping her against the cold tile of the pool. Her body being so light in the water, it meant he could use all his strength to drive into her. She moaned as she felt him rocking deep inside her, their bodies so tight together that not a sliver of light could be seen between them. She threw an arm around his neck to help steady herself and her other hand clutched tighter in his hair as his mouth plundered her own.

She groaned into the kiss, the sound spurring him to take her harder. His hands gripped the edge of the pool, giving him leverage to slam into her repeatedly. The hand in his hair twisted and clutched tighter as she began to lose control of her body. She broke the kiss and cried out, burying her head in his shoulder as her orgasm hit. Riding out the waves with her, prolonging it until her felt her tremble against him, taking deep gasping breaths which cooled on his skin, making him shiver. As he felt her body begin to relax, he started moving again taking her back up to her peak before her body even had time to calm. She lifted her head from his shoulder and looked at him with hooded eyes, face flushed and breath hitching again as she felt her second climax sneak up on her. As she tightened further around him, he gripped the edge harder and with two hard thrusts he came, crashing his lips to her, to muffle the sounds of her name escaping him.

Her legs were still around him, his grip still loosely on the pool edge; he had his head to her chest, regaining control and listening to the rapid beating of her heart. She ran a hand through his hair, he looked up at her. Brushing his lips against her lightly, tracing the contours with his tongue. Still breathless, he pulled away slightly.

'Well, technically that wasn't under her roof now, was it?'

xXx

The next morning Claire was happy to see Daniel leaving his old room and as she walked past the room Wilhelmina had stayed in she heard the door open and Willie stepped out on the landing to join them. Claire smiled to herself, happy that she had managed to keep them from themselves for at least one night. She had been sure she would be waking up to a scene from her nightmares, finding her son in the demon's clutches.

The trio made their way silently downstairs and into the kitchen. Marc, Betty and Amanda were already seated at the island, heads huddled together as they ate the pancakes that Louisa had made them. When they saw Wilhelmina, Daniel and Claire walk in, they sprang apart. Betty had her head down, her bangs hiding her face. Marc was biting the inside of his cheek and Amanda was chewing on a nail, looking away.

'Morning.' Daniel greeted them. No one answered him.

Claire walked to the island and poured herself some juice as Daniel and Wilhelmina walked to retrieve cups of coffee from the counter.

'How did our Editors in Chief sleep?' Marc asked, song like.

'Editors in briefs more like…see what I did there?' Amanda whispered, proudly, and Betty snorted into her pancakes.

Daniel and Wilhelmina missed the remark but couldn't miss Betty's reaction, they looked at each other, curiously.

'Say Amanda…' Marc began brightly, in an obviously rehearsed speech. 'Did you happen to see the beautiful sky last night?'

'Why yes Marc, I do believe I saw a full moon.'

'You did?! As did I, in fact…I saw two.'

The three young colleagues at the table dissolved into shrieks and cackles. Wilhelmina stumbled, her coffee cup almost slipping from her grasp, as Daniel spluttered his first mouthful of Java.

'What?' Claire asked, in obvious confusion.

'We didn't get invited to the pool party.' Marc smiled broadly.

Claire looked at the giggling threesome and then to her son and Wilhelmina, the meaning of Marc's words were written all over their faces, looking like a pair of teens caught groping in the backseat of a Chevy.

'Oh for God…one night, ONE NIGHT! Was that too much to ask?' Claire shouted. She slammed down her glass and walked to the phone next to her fridge.

'Who are you calling?' Daniel asked.

'A contractor.' She snapped.

'Why?'

Betty, Amanda and Marc once again erupted in laughter and even Willie let out a snort of amusement when Claire answered. 'I'm getting the god damn pool filled in!'


	25. Chapter 25

**25.**

From his position on the couch, he studied his mother's profile. She was on the terrace, on a big, soft white armchair, looking ahead. She had a cup of coffee in her hands. Or maybe tea. Hopefully not Vodka.

They had decided Claire would get in the car at 7pm that evening, and be sure the reporters followed her to Mode, giving them the chance to leave the house with the limousine. While he'd seen Betty, Amanda and Marc seemed to be enjoying being locked in the big mansion, he knew Wilhelmina's patience was growing thinner. He could understand her: the place must hold many memories for her, most of which she probably didn't feel like reliving.

"How long has she been like that?" came the soft voice from behind him. He looked up and saw Wilhelmina towering him, leaning against the back of the couch, looking down on him. He returned his gaze upon his mother and shrugged. "You should go talk to her," Wilhelmina continued, circling the couch, coming to stand in front of him.

"I know," he said, sighing. "I don't know what to tell her. I feel like I told her everything, and what she's going through is something I can't understand. When it happened, two years ago, with Molly, it was because I'd kept her in the dark. This time, she knew it. I'm not sure it's because she feels _neglected_, anymore. There must be something else there, I just don't know what it is."

"Well, it's not like looking at her will answer your questions, Daniel," Wilhelmina stated, looking over her shoulder to look at the woman she'd spent her life hating and feeling sorry for her on some level. "She's got no one. You're the only thing that keeps her connected with her past, I think she's afraid of letting you go because it'll mean she'll have to let go of everything else. I think somewhere, deep inside, she's still holding onto her memory of a family."

Daniel looked up at her. "When did you get so deep?" he asked.

"I am deep," she said, raising an eyebrow. "You're the jerk, between the two of us."

He smirked and put his hands on his knees, standing up. He leaned in and kissed her, then he walked off. When he reached the closed French window connecting to the terrace he turned around, watching her before a small smile curved his lips. "I love you."

Wilhelmina pursed her lips and smirked back, turning her back on him and leaving the room. He laughed inwardly, perfectly aware of the fact that it would take her a while to get accustomed to that. He slid the window open and stepped out; hearing the movements, Claire turned briefly to him and smiled. "It's preaching time, huh?" she said, nodding solemnly. "Before you start going mental, I want to appeal to your memory and remind you all the times you came home hammered and I let it slide."

"I wasn't a recovering alcoholic," Daniel pointed out. "And I was 18."

"Make it 28."

"Still, definitely not 62," he stated, sitting on the armrest, bumping into her shoulder playfully. "What was it all about, Mum? I'm not here to judge, and trust me, I'd love to. I just want you to tell me what caused this, because I want to help you. You said something, yesterday," he added, in a whisper.

Claire looked up "Did I?"

"Yeah…" he said, tentatively, scratching the back of his head. "You know, the old _loving the devil _thing."

"Oh, _that_." She looked away, clicking her tongue. "Look, I'll get over it. I must learn to live with it for as much time as it lasts."

"See, Mum? That's your problem," he said. "You start by giving it a deadline already, while neither Wilhelmina or I can even think about that. It's like you're just sitting and wait for us to fall apart, and that's eating you inside."

Claire put her mug down on the small coffee table at her side, and turned into the armchair, looking up at her son. "It's not about that, Daniel. It's about what I see in you. I've seen each and every one of your girlfriends, I remember who my son was when he was involved with someone. Yet, strangely, this time is different, because you're an adult. It's different from Molly, because you see the challenge. It's different from Sofia, because you have a past you didn't have with her. It's different from all the others, and it worries me. I'm afraid this is it. I'm afraid if you're serious with this, it'll be forever. And well… eventually, yes, it's also because it's her, but not necessarily the primary reason. Believe it or not, it's losing you that worries me more. I'd rather welcome _her _in the family, than lose you forever."

Daniel narrowed his eyes, confused. "Wait a second," he said. "You're telling me you did this…the alcohol, the shop-lifting…because you want to _welcome her in the family_?"

"Yes, and that scares the hell out of me," Claire explained, placing a hand on her son's knee. "I know you trust her, but I don't know if _I _can trust her."

Daniel placed his upon his mother's hand, and looked straight into her eyes. "Then trust _me_, Mum. All I'm asking you is to have faith in me, my choices and the people I choose. You've always been supportive, and that's been important for me. I need you to keep supporting me, whatever happens." He paused, and Claire's lips trembled. "You're my Mother. I can't do this without you."

The woman brought her hands to cup Daniel's face, smiling. He could see the wetness in her eyes, and smiled back. Claire took a deep breath and nodded. "I will always be there," she whispered. "And I'm sorry for what happened. It was stupid, immature- "

"Stop it right there," he said, taking her hands in his. "I don't want your apologies. You're not apologizing to me. You need to apologize to yourself. Promise me this won't ever happen again."

"When did you become the parent, here?" Claire asked, chuckling.

Daniel chuckled, too, but squeezed her hands. "Promise."

"I promise."

He leaned in and kissed her on the cheek, hugging her tight. "I love you, Mum. I always will."

***

Amanda knew she should have listened to Marc and go to the bathroom on the main floor. Instead, she'd insisted she wanted to explore the house, now that Daniel and Claire were busy chitchatting about whatever Mama Meade's trouble was, and Wilhelmina was nowhere to be found. Betty had tried to tell her that it wasn't polite to just invade people's privacy, but as usual Amanda had ignored. Now, however, while she was walking around, in the first floor, she regretted not having followed her friends' advices, or at least not bringing anyone with her. She knew the stairs leading downstairs had to be somewhere, because what the hell, she had come upstairs in some way, hadn't she? So why was the staircase nowhere to be found?

"Alright, Mandy," she whispered to herself, stopping in the middle of the corridor. "First off, this house is not _that _big, you can't be lost. And secondly, _even if _you were, it's not that big of a deal: they'll see you're missing and they'll send a search party. Maybe they'll make a desperate request on live television. No, wait, better. They'll go on Oprah, and they're all going to cry together about how awesome you are."

"I'm not sure I want to know who you're talking to?" came an amused voice from an opened door nearby. She gasped and walked towards it, opening it wide. She was in a classy studio, with elegant dark furniture and red curtains hanging against a huge French window giving on the pool in the garden below. Wilhelmina sat comfortably at the desk, writing something on a bloc-notes. She barely lifted her head to acknowledge the girl coming in and kept on writing.

Just when she was about to turn around and leave tiptoeing the room Wilhelmina looked up and bit her bottom lip, looking the girl up and down. The woman's stare only was enough o freeze Amanda on the spot: she didn't want to be there, alone with her, but she didn't want to leave either, and risk upsetting Wilhelmina, whatever she was doing.

"Amanda," Wilhelmina said, tapping the pen's butt on her chin. "What are you wearing?" Amanda's eyes widened, looking immediately down at her outfit, fearing some fashion faux pas. "Don't worry, I just need the names," Wilhelmina explained.

"Uhm…" Amanda stuttered, confused. "The dress is a McQueen, and the shoes are Jimmy Choo." She flapped her hair around an looked down at her neckline. "This necklace," she said, holding the pendant up, "…is vintage. No idea of the designer, but it's gorgeous. It makes my eyes look pretty. Well, prettier."

"Bottom line, Mc Queen and jimmy Choo," she said, looking down at her bloc-notes. "Not useful. Never mind, you can go," she added, waving her hand. Amanda turned on her heels and moved to close the door, when Wilhelmina stopped her again. "I'm coming too," she said, throwing the pen on the table and carrying the bloc-notes with her. When she was by Amanda's side, she took in the girl's intimidated expression and brushed past her. "I'm not going to hurt you, you know?" she suggested, and the girl scurried after her, slowing down when she was by the Editor's side.

Amanda glanced at her sideways, while Wilhelmina led her through the rooms, clearly accustomed with the place. "Isn't it weird?" she asked, before she could stop herself. That's what Marc usually as there for, too bad he was nowhere near now.

"What?" Wilhelmina asked, but really asked herself when she might have given the impression she wanted to chat.

"Being here," Amanda explained, pointing to their surroundings. "You were here with Mister Meade before. And now Claire lives here, and you have an affair with her son."

"Relationship."

"Huh?"

"I have a relationship with Daniel," Wilhelmina pointed out, not looking at Amanda. They turned left and finally reached the stairs.

Amanda smiled at the specification, as they started going down, the big entrance slowly coming into sight. "Well, isn't it weird?" she insisted.

Wilhelmina didn't answer at first, and when they reached the bottom of the staircase she looked round. She peeked inside discretely inside the dining room, where she could see Daniel and Claire were still talking, sitting round the table. She noticed a pair of legs dangling from the armchair of a couch, the back of it not allowing her to see who it was, but judging by the yellow socks and the frumpy green skirt she knew they had to be Betty's.

She returned her gaze upon Amanda and sigh, shaking her head. "It is," she admitted. "But I'm not letting it take its toll on me." She tried to give the sentence a final tone, suggesting the conversation was over, but Amanda just kept going.

"He really likes you," she said, smiling softly. Wilhelmina stared at the other woman's features, not knowing what to say.

"What makes you think that?" she finally asked, opting for the only road she'd never thought of running: words.

"I've known Daniel for a long time," Amanda said, shrugging. "He gets all territorial, when he likes someone. He's always asking for you. He tries to be sure he knows everything about you. He does his best to always look manly enough, because he wants you to be proud of him. I'd say that's a pretty big crush," the girl concluded. She smiled bitterly. "I know, because he never did, with me."

Wilhelmina took a deep breath and, subconsciously, her hands went to the material of her dress, smoothing it down her curves. She nodded once, and turned her back on the girl, heading for the dining room. On the threshold, however, she leaned her hand against the doorframe and looked at Amanda.

"You're a smart girl," she said. "Smarter than you think, or at least smarter than what you want other people to think you are." She paused, pursing her lips and looking down, pondering carefully the next words. "You would have been a good assistant."

Amanda smiled, feeling a connection with her for the first time. "Thank you," she said. Suddenly, she cheered herself up and walked, with a steady determined pace, swaying her hips, out of sight and into the room the others were in.

Wilhelmina stared at the spot where the girl had been, then she turned around and followed her. Feeling their presence, Daniel and Claire looked up. "Hey," he said, standing up and approaching her. "Where have you been?"

"I needed to sort a few things out," she said, waving the bloc-notes in the air. She looked round and frowned. "Where's Marc?"

"Coming!" came the boy's voice, from the kitchen.

"And what exactly is she doing?" Wilhelmina asked, looking at Betty's body, slumped over the couch, eyes closed and lips parted, snoring softly. "She's sleeping?"

"Yeah," Daniel said, smiling at the sight. "Let her," he added, placing a hand on Wilhelmina's forearm. "She's tired. I'll fill her in, tomorrow."

Wilhelmina nodded and walked up to the table, placing the bloc-notes on it and sliding it over to Claire. She caught it and looked at the list of name Wilhelmina had scribbled down. "What is this?"

"That's a list of Elle's most important advertisers," Wilhelmina explained, just as Marc walked into the room and drew closer to the table. Amanda had already jumped on the table, crossing her legs. She looked at the people around the table and continued. "As all of you know by now, I have changed the basic ownership form, transferring all of the material to myself. However, making the actual move from Elle to Mode won't be as easy. There's legal issues to be considered. The pictures, the ads, they belong to the advertiser as much as they do to me, right now. We can't allow any mistake. This is the last step."

She paused dramatically, shifting her stare between the components of the group.

"Those advertisers are not easy to handle. I'm talking Gucci, Louis Vuitton, Marc Jacobs, Versace, Prada…and the list goes on," she added, pointing to the bloc-notes Claire had in his hands. "We need to talk to them. We need their approval. They need to sign agreements. As I said, this is the last step. If everything works out, as I think it will, they will trust me blindly and do whatever I ask them to do. A little stir will only increase their sales. There is, however…" she added, starting to walk around the table. None of them looked at her, all were looking intently to the long list of names on the bloc-notes Claire had placed in the middle of the table. "…a small chance the thing might blow up."

"Blow up?" Claire asked. "What do you mean blow up?"

"They might not get on board with our little plan," Wilhelmina explained, continuing on her path until she reached Daniel's side and she stopped. Claire looked into her eyes. "They might be afraid of legal consequences, moral implications…or just plain poor judgment. If that's the case, our cover will blow up, and we'll be in big trouble. I'm going to be kicked out of Elle, without the articles, without the pictures, and without my reputation. Basically, we'll have nothing, and we'll have no jobs and there's not going to be a magazine to come back to."

Amanda took small quick paces to the side, reaching Marc. "Marc, she's scaring me," she whispered.

"She scares me all the time," he replied.

"I want you to be ready, and I don't want you to blame yourself if something like this happens. Most of all," she added, raising an eyebrow. "I don't want you to blame me, because there's only so much I can do. It's in the hands of the advertiser's good faith. And a bit of luck."

Claire sighed and drummed her fingers in the surface. "Wilhelmina, are you sure bringing Daniel to the meeting will do us any good? Wouldn't it be better if it was only you? They're your bitches, after all."

"Well, my _bitches _will need to see that things are different. They'll be easier to convince, if they see the Mode environment is one of cohesion; they will be more willing to help us. And I want him there because they have to see that…" she paused, weighing what she was about to say. "They have to see that I respect him, and trust him enough, and that it's not just another way to push Daniel out of the company."

Daniel put an arm around her shoulders, and looked down at her, smirking. "So you respect me?"

"Oh, shut up," she said, shrugging his arm off her shoulders, but a small smile betrayed her.

Claire assisted the scene, but her expression was indecipherable. "When are we planning this meeting? We have the softball game coming up on Friday, we can't have that before that."

"I'm going to start calling people tonight, and arrange the meeting for Saturday. I'm probably going to beg most of them, due to the short notice, but I need the main advertisers there. And I mean advertisers, not reps. I want the goddamn important people there, I'm not gonna waste my time with their lackeys."

Claire nodded and stood up. "Are we done?"

"One last thing," Wilhelmina said, biting her lip. "As hard as it is for me, Claire…I think it would be nice if you came with us. At the meeting, I mean." Claire narrowed her eyes, and waited for Wilhelmina to continue. "Oh come on," Wilhelmina exclaimed. "Don't make me say it."

"Say what?" the woman asked, a hint of a smirk curving her lips.

"It's not just Daniel that I have to show respect for."

Claire's smirk widened, and she folded her arms against her chest. "Are you saying you want me to be there because you _respect_ me?"

"Well, I'm not a fan of the shade of blonde you use to have your hair dyed. And I think you should stop wearing vivid colors, because you're no longer twenty. But despite all the things I don't like in you…Hidden under liters of gin and vodka, there might be something good."

Claire nodded, amused. "I'll take that as a compliment."

"Please, do. My skin will melt if I go any further."

***

"Daniel, I hate you."

He looked up suddenly, looking quizzically at her as she entered her bedroom. He was on the bed, writing down the numbers of the people she was supposed to call that evening. They'd left Claire's house a few hours earlier, after the reporters had followed his mother's room as they'd foreseen. They'd dropped Betty, Marc and Amanda at the boy's apartment, while they'd gone to Wilhelmina's apartment, sneaking in from the side entrance.

"What did I do?" he asked, noticing she had her black _Elle _shirt on, and a pain of black tight trousers. "Why are you wearing the softball uniform?"

"Because I needed to see if it was still good," she said, stepping closer. "And obviously, it's not, and it's your fault." She hooked a finger in the waistband of her black trousers and pulled at it, showing it was at least one size bigger than it should be.

"I don't do your laundry, Wilhelmina," Daniel explained. "I don't know how I could have anything to do with your pants being larger than they should."

"Oh you don't?" she said, narrowing her eyes. "It's not the pants that are bigger, it's me. I lost weight, and now it looks like I'm wearing Betty Suarez's mourning pants." He looked down at her stomach and chuckled. "Why are you laughing? I have four days to find a pair of black tight trousers with white seams. And that's an awful lot hard, because they either are terrible _math-teacher _pants or _I just came back from the gym _pants."

"Oh, stop fussing," he said, pushing the list he was writing from his knees and pulling her to sit on his laps.

"I'm serious," she said.

"Oh come on, I'm sure one of your _bitches _can do that for you," he said, mimicking his mother's voice. She chuckled at the reference and twisted in his laps, so that she was straddling him. "Shall we make those phone calls?" he asked.

She sighed and nodded, shifting position, and laid herself in bed next to him. He handed her the phone and the bloc-notes with the numbers he had scribbled down.

"Alright," he said, glancing down. "First one."

"The bitches at Dior," she said, dialing the number. She placed the device against her ear and turned her head to kiss Daniel. She pulled back immediately when she heard the voice answering on the other hand. "Hello, this is Wilhelmina Slater. I need to talk to Delphine Arnault-Gancia."

Daniel leaned in trying to listen to the conversation, but Wilhelmina pushed him away. He pouted and she rolled her eyes.

"No," she told to the person she was talking to. "I don't care, I need to talk to her now. It's very important. Tell her it's me, she'll pick up the goddamned phone in a second." She frowned and looked at Daniel. "They put me on hold. That whore better pick up, because if she doesn't I swear I'll destroy- Hi sweetheart!" she exclaimed out of the blue. "How are you?" She nodded, listening to what the other woman was saying, and Daniel tried to listen again, but she shoved him away. "I'm glad," she said, putting on a fake smile. "Look, I needed to talk to you because I'm calling an urgent advertising meeting on Saturday. It's a very important matter, and I need you to be there. No, not a rep, I need _you _Delphine."

"I'm going under the shower," he whispered, kissing her shoulder. "Stop the sucking up and join me when you're done."

Wilhelmina watched him as he stood up and left the room, shooting her a last look before disappearing.

She shook her head as the person on the other end tried to catch her attention. "Yes, yes, I'm here, sorry," she said, hastily. "Uhm…So. Will you be there? Perfect. The meeting is at 5pm, at our studios on 28th Street. I'll see you then, bye bye."

She disconnected the call and heard the noise of water running from the bathroom next door. She bit her lip and tried to focus on the names on the paper in front of her. She started dialing, but Daniel's singing voice distracted her.

"Daniel, I told you to stop singing under the shower!" she yelled. He didn't listen to her, and the singing continued. She threw the phone on the bed and stood up, snorting. She walked into the bathroom, where she could see Daniel's shadow in the shadow.

She slid the partition opened and he stopped, looking like a kid caught with his hands in the jam jar. She shook her head and turned to leave, but before she could reach the door she felt the jet hitting her back. She spun around and saw Daniel holding the shower head, with an amused expression.

"Are you stupid or what?" she asked, her back dripping water on the already wet floor. He smirked and directed the jet towards her again, soaking her. She sputtered as the water hit her in the face, and looked murderously at him.

"Come on," he said, stepping aside, motioning for her to join him. "No point in walking away now, you're soaked already."

***

The rest of the week passed by too quickly for Wilhelmina. On Friday morning, she walked round the bedroom to gather the last things before heading to the diamond. Marc was waiting for her in the car, but he kept texting her to hurry up or they would be late. She stopped reading his messages after the tenth, knowing she would only grow more anxious if he kept pressing her.

Daniel hadn't stayed, that night, knowing it would be way too dangerous. The eyes of the fashion world were on the two editors in chief, wondering if there would be a corpse by the end of the game. When she was sure she had everything, she closed the door behind her. Minutes later, she was walking in the hall of the building. She could already see the car, parked just outside. She marched down the sidewalk, crossed the street running on her high-heeled snickers and jumped inside.

"Good morning!" Marc exclaimed, his voice dripping with irony. "We are so early, this morning! Oh wait, no…we're one hour late."

"Stop the preaching," Wilhelmina said as the door rode through the New York streets. "I'm the star of the day, I'm fashionably late."

"Sure, plus you're nervous as hell."

"Wilhelmina Slater doesn't get nervous."

"Look at your index finger," Marc said.

She looked at her hand and noticed the nail was shorter than the others. She'd been biting her nails the whole morning, indeed. "I broke a nail," she said, narrowing her eyes dangerously.

Marc nodded solemnly. "I see," he whispered. "You talked to Daniel?"

"No," she said. "We're not attached at the hip, you know?"

Marc bit his bottom lip. "You do realize I could say something extremely vulgar right now, don't you?" Wilhelmina rolled her eyes, chuckling. "But I won't, because I'm a classy man. Speaking of classy, I love those trousers!"

Wilhelmina looked down at her new black pants and smiled, remembering when Daniel had walked into the house, two days before, saying he had found the perfect pair of pants for the softball game. "I know," she said, reminiscently. "I lost three pounds."

"You did?" Marc exclaimed. "You look fabulous. Not that you weren't, three pounds ago," he added quickly.

The car stopped when they arrived at Central Park's West Drive, closed to the traffic except for the cars that showed the Elle/Mode pass. Wilhelmina and Marc exited the car and walked under the trees for a while before the diamond came into sight. She stopped, in the shadow of an oak, staring ahead as the reporters and the visitors crowded the stands. Marc stopped beside her and took a deep sigh.

"You ok?" he asked.

"I am," she replied, too fast to sound convincing. She looked at him and he lifted an eyebrow, sympathetically. "I'm not, Marc. I'm a wreck. If this thing goes down the drain I'm screwed."

Marc placed a hand on the woman's shoulder and squeezed lightly: he was happy to see she didn't shrink away. "you thought this through carefully, Willie. There's no way this is not going well. I've been there with you, I've seen it all, and let me say…this time, you outdid yourself. This is the best plan so far. You've been amazing, and everything…everyone will go back to the place where they belong."

She snorted and shook her head, running a hand through her hair.

"Don't do that," he said. "You'll ruin the hair."

She looked at him, incredulous, and then burst out laughing.

***

He was leaning against the net, watching the people in the field handling bats like they were experts players, when they really didn't even know how to hold them right. He located Joe Zee, in the distance, talking to Suzuki St. Pierre. Studying the whole diamond, his eyes fell on Amanda, dressed in her usual skimpy cheerleading outfit; Betty was with her, in a more decent outfit, holding the pom-poms under her arms. Amanda had allowed her into the cheerleading squad because she needed someone to _jump on._

"Daniel Meade," came a voice he didn't recognize, somewhere behind him.

He didn't look around and sighed. "I'm not giving any interview today, I'm sorry."

"I'm not here to interview," responded the voice, drawing closer.

Daniel looked left and saw the man that was standing there, looking at the field ahead of them through the net. He was a tall man, probably in his early fifties. He was in a business suit, elegant, too elegant for a softball game. He studied the man's profile, noticing a certain hardness in his eyes.

"You're not a journalist," Daniel stated, narrowing his eyes.

"I'm not," the other man answered, turning to face him and stretching out his arm. "Nice to meet you."

Daniel looked at the hand the man was offering, and instead of shaking it he folded his arms on his chest. "Who are you?" he chose to ask, suspicious.

"I'm a friend of Wilhelmina Slater's," he said, smirking. "An important friend."

"Look, I don't know what you want, but unless you've been living under a rock you must know I'm currently not on speaking terms with Wilhelmina," he said. "So, whether you're just a noisy reporter who wants me to trash her or someone she's paid to do the dirty job for her, I'm not going to stay here and listen to what you say." He turned and started to leave, but the man stopped him, putting a harm on his shoulder, roughly.

Daniel turned around, shrugging the hand off his shoulder.

"I'm sorry," the man said. "I don't mean to be rude, but I just really wanted to meet the person whose stupidity helped me make a shitload of money."

"What are you saying?" Daniel asked, not following a word of what the man was saying.

In that moment, they heard noises coming from the far opposite side of the field, as the reporters hurried down the stands to reach a certain spot on the edge of the diamond. He squinted his eyes, and couldn't help but smile when he saw Wilhelmina walk in, looking gorgeous as always. Somehow, however, seeing her wearing the _Elle _uniform seemed wrong: he knew the white _Mode _uniform suited her much better. He couldn't deny that she looked still ravishing, though.

"What's that smile, Mister Meade?"

He had almost forgotten the man, who was looking at him with a weird expression. As much as he tried to wipe the smirk off his face, he couldn't. He opted for a quick escape, and turned again, walking away.

"Nice to meet you, Daniel," the man called after him.

Daniel stopped dead in his tracks, as a flash crossed his mind and a sudden memory of the man hit him. In a second he remembered who that person was, and he turned around very slowly, facing him. He took deep breaths and swallowed loudly. He'd just been caught checking Wilhelmina Slater out by Arnaud Lagardère.

***

She was walking along the deserted corridor, going from the dressing rooms to the diamond when, stepping in front of a door, it creaked open and an arm sneaked out, grabbing her and dragging her inside. She screamed, but the same person who'd dragged her pressed a hand against her mouth.

The light was switched on, and she found herself staring into his blue eyes.

She pushed his hand away from her face and hissed: "What the hell do you think you're doing?" She locked the door hastily, and turned round on him, hands firmly placed on her hips and an angry look. "That was stupid and dangerous! I someone happened to walk by…"

"I did something stupid."

Wilhelmina shook her head, and looked at the ceiling. Unable to look at him, she started inhaling deeply to calm herself. "What did you do?" she asked, spelling out each word.

"I talked to Lagardère."

Wilhelmina gasped. "Arnaud? Arnaud Lagardère?" she asked. Daniel nodded, with a grimace. "Oh for fuck's sake, why! What happened? What did you say?"

"I didn't really say anything," he said, biting his bottom lip. "But I'm afraid he might suspect something. Why else would he come up to me?"

Wilhelmina looked round. "Are you sure no one is here?" she asked. "We're in a dressing room."

"Yeah, I checked," he exclaimed. "Don't change subject now. Do you think he might be looking into this? Maybe you forgot something, maybe something slipped and we didn't pay attention, maybe-"

"Stop, Daniel," she deadpanned. "No, nothing went wrong, I didn't _slip_ anything to him, and our behavior have been nothing but perfect throughout this thing. He would never guess, trust me. He's probably just trying to gloat for the fact that he has me and you don't. Allegedly," she added, grinning.

He smiled and leaned in to kiss her. She slid her arms around his neck, pulling him into her, but he pulled back. "No," he whispered. "This is not happening here."

"What exactly do you think I was thinking?" she said, laughing. "I'm not going to have sex with you in here!"

"Good," he said. He pulled her in to kiss her again, but he pulled back again, looking down. "I hate it that you're wearing the _Elle _colors. You should be in white and orange."

Wilhelmina tilted her head to the side and lifted an eyebrow. "That must be the cutest thing you've ever said to me," she stated.

Daniel threw his head back and laughed. "Sometimes I think you love _Mode_ more than you love me."

"Oh, but I do," she exclaimed, in on the joke. "But it's ok, you can be the hot gardener and we can have a torrid affair behind its back."

"Torrid affair is good," he agreed, cupping her face and kissing her one last time before spinning her round and slapping her butt. "Off you go."

She opened the door, on the threshold she turned and narrowed her eyes. "You need to stop slapping me," she hissed, closing the door quickly after her. She walked down the corridor and out in the sun just in time to hear the music starting. People, on the stands, were clapping. She reached the _Elle _bench under the scrutiny of the cameras, and Suzuki St. Pierre's voice filled the air.

"Welcome, ladies and gentlemen, to the 10th annual Elle vs Mode charity softball game! It's the event of the season and everyone is wondering: will Daniel Meade finally beat Wilhelmina Slater down with his bat? Or will it be Wilhelmina Slater who'll catch all of his balls? Let the game, and the fight, begin!"

Wilhelmina stood at the side, as Daniel walked up to the _Mode _bench. She followed him with her eyes until he sat down next to his mother. Nearby, Amanda, Betty and a girl she'd never seen before were chanting and jumping. She closed her eyes, and her heart was beating faster.

_It's almost done,_ she kept repeating to herself.

When Joe Zee walked into the diamond, there was a roar of applause coming from the stands. He reached the pitching mount, and bent down a few times to stretch the leg's muscles. He looked at her and winked.

"Joe Zee pitching for _Elle _magazine!" Suzuki's voice exclaimed from the speakers. "Everyone was shocked to hear he was going to be in the _Elle _team, but then again, it's Wilhelmina Slater's team, nothing can really shock you."

Joe Zee positioned himself on the mount, ready to pitch. Wilhelmina noticed her own hands were gripping the net furiously. She sighed and swallowed.

"Good luck Joe!" Suzuki exclaimed.

Joe stretched his hand back, and was ready to launch, but something stopped him. He narrowed his eyes in a confused expression, staring at the stands. He turned to Wilhelmina, and his eyes were wide. Wilhelmina shook her head, questioningly, but he just went back to staring ahead. She followed his eyes and saw what he'd seen.

There, on the stands, was Robbie Meyers. Big, dark sunglasses on, dressed in an impeccable blue tailored dress, with her arms folded on her chest. However, it was not Robbie who was worrying her. She shifted her gaze on the man who was standing next to her, talking and smiling, too nicely for her taste.

Arnaud Lagardère.

"Oh crap."


	26. Chapter 26

It took all the willpower she could muster not to look at Daniel and gauge his reaction to the impromptu guest at their game. Instead she let her gaze linger on the two people she least wanted to see together and feigned a smile of pleasant surprise when they both looked her way. Robbie smiled sweetly at her and took off her sunglasses, Wilhelmina could see the emotion behind her eyes was anything but sweet. Willie tilted her head and let her eyes and smile widen in order to appear genuinely shocked but pleased to see her _dear old friend _looking so well.

From the corner of her eye she could see Arnaud regarding them each in turn. His eyes where scrunched in confusion and he straightened up and fastened the button on his suit jacket. Wilhelmina fought the urge to swallow the lump which was steadily rising in her throat as she recognised the gesture as an unconscious one he employed in meetings, usually before giving someone hell.

She stood from her position on the bench and noted that all was quiet behind her, she could not hear the sound of wood hitting animal hide, of the crowds cheering as people ran to base. Turning, she saw the stadium had fallen silent, Joe Zee's eyes fixed squarely on Robbie, drawing everyone else's gaze to her. She heard the squeal of the speaker system invade the silence and the voice that always seemed to be there whenever something went wrong in her life rang across the stadium.

'Ladies and Gentlemen, it appears we may have found our halftime show. Our much loved Co-Editor In Chief is all dried out and looking fabulous. Is she here to support her team, or to finish what she so publicly started in Los Angeles. Grease 'em up boys, it's Myers Vs Slater, round 2!'

The crowd laughed as Suzuki broke the tension, Wilhelmina directed her attention to where the flamboyant man sat and shouted over the crowd, still smiling widely. 'Water under the bridge darling! Play ball!' The crowd cheered as Joe Zee regained his stance and pitched the first hit.

The spectators attention now back on the game, she stepped over the bench and made her way to the stands. As she got to the first stair leading up to where Arnaud sat with Robbie she halted as the pair stood up and started edging towards her. Arnaud began walking down the stairs, Robbie at his heels. 'We need to talk.' Arnaud stated as he passed, not looking at her. Robbie paused next to her, smiling. 'I hope you brought your shovel Willie, you're gonna need it to dig your way out of this shit.' She stuck her glasses back on and followed Arnaud to the dressing rooms.

Wilhelmina took a moment to ensure her breathing remained steady, she was sure the whole stadium could hear the hammering of her heart. Wanting nothing more than to seek out Daniel and find reassurance in his eyes, she instead fixed her stare straight ahead and forced herself to march after Robbie.

With as much subtlety as possible; Amanda and Betty made their way over to the Mode bench and sat next to Daniel.

'Should we be worried?' Betty asked.

'If anyone can talk their way out of this it's Wilhelmina.' Daniel answered, sounding more sure than he felt.

xXx

Arnaud held the door open for Robbie and Wilhelmina, they filed past him into the vacant room and he closed the door behind him. Robbie perched against the edge of a table smirking and Arnaud leaned against the closed door, his arms folded.

'Robbie darling, why ever didn't you tell me you were getting released?' Wilhelmina exclaimed, feigning interest.

'Probably because I knew you would do everything in your power to keep me inside.'

'Robbie, you need to stop this, you clearly are still unwell.'

Robbie pushed herself from the table behind her. 'Stop it, you're not fooling anyone Willie. It's your fault I was there to begin with.'

Willie rolled her eyes, exasperated. 'Are you still singing that old tune? Robbie, I can see why you would be embarrassed over your predicament, especially as it was displayed so publically, but you can't push your problems on to everyone else. That's no way to kill your demons.'

'Not everyone, just you!'

Wilhelmina threw her arms in the air, and turned to appeal to Arnaud. 'Are you listening to this? Clearly she should still be under observation. I will not have her out here sullying my good name.'

Robbie laughed. 'Good name? Are you kidding me?'

Arnaud moved from the door and walked slowly to Wilhelmina. 'Roberta here has been given a clean bill of mental health, there are no signs of toxins in her system; I spoke to her doctor myself.'

'Well it's a long way from LA to New York, more than enough time to take enough pills to make her rattle.'

Arnaud tilted his head, seeing the truth in Wilhelmina's words. Robbie leaned forward, seeing Arnaud's loyalty slip. 'Arnaud no, come on you know me. I have NEVER had anything remotely like this happen in my life until she came to the magazine.'

He nodded. 'That's true; Wilhelmina, Robbie and I have been discussing your visit to the rehab facility and your regrettable attack. Her story seems to differ somewhat from yours, she says you intimated that there would be no Elle for her to return to.'

Willie snorted and folded her arms. 'That's preposterous.'

'Is it? What does she have to gain by lying?'

Wilhelmina shook her head slowly, trying to appear indignant to the accusations, all the while buying time. 'I don't know...to push me out? To get her precious Elle back to herself once again? Because she's jealous of the work I've been doing there?'

'She's lying! Arnaud, listen to me, she is a liar! She's trying to ruin me...ruin Elle!'

'Ruin Elle? Do you hear what she's suggesting? What could I possibly have to garner from doing that? I'm at a magazine where at last I am appreciated the way I should be. If I were to damage my position there in any way, what would I get from it, where exactly would I go from there?'

Arnaud looked at her and inhaled deeply. 'Oh I don't know, back to Mode perhaps?'

She felt the bile rise in her chest as he hit the nail right on the head, her exterior, however, did not fail her as she huffed out a laugh of disbelief. 'Mode? Oh yes I'm trying to discredit the publication which has given me my dues, ruin my hard earned reputation in the process, to go back to a magazine that under values me and work alongside a man I abhor!'

When she said it that way, Robbie's accusations appeared ludicrous, however Arnaud persisted, although the conviction seemed to leaving his voice, replaced by doubt. 'Abhor? See I don't know about that. I was fortunate enough to be privy to Mr Meades reaction when you entered the field.'

'And what? He peed in his pants?' She cocked her brow, certain she was bringing Arnaud back round to her side.

'He smiled. Now why would he smile at the sight of you?'

'Hell I don't know, maybe he was happy that he might have a chance at winning because I'm not up against him, maybe he was smiling because his Mommy promised him smiley faced pancakes if he hit a home run, maybe he was just squinting because the goddamn sun was in his eyes! I can tell you one thing though, he was most definitely NOT smiling at me! This is nothing more than the supposition of a fool!'

'Wait a minute...' Robbie whispered and both Arnaud and Willie turned to face her. 'The man.'

'Try to form coherent thoughts before you speak.' Willie snapped.

Robbie walked further towards her, eyes widening with every step. 'In your apartment...it wasn't Arnaud at all...it was him.'

She squinted her eyes, inwardly congratulating herself as she managed to hold it together as every aspect of the plan unravelled before her eyes. 'Excuse me?'

Robbie looked straight at Arnaud. 'He's helping her...she's sleeping with Daniel Meade!'

Wilhelmina kept her stare on Robbie, waiting for Arnaud's reaction, terrified of what the outcome would be. She felt her body unclench as she heard a deep laugh from behind her. 'Robbie, I don't think...'

'It makes perfect sense!' Robbie exclaimed.

Wilhelmina set her lips in a line and nodded sarcastically. 'You're right, me sleeping with the man I have publically hated for five years and conspiring to bring down a magazine I have brought nothing but increasing revenue to, makes a whole lot more sense than a highly strung out, drug addicted Editor on the verge of a breakdown.' She stepped back and looked at Arnaud, he wearily ran a hand down his face.

'You're right.'

'Arnaud no!' Robbie yelled.

'Roberta enough! I have a great deal of respect and affection for you, but you are going too far.'

Robbie snatched her purse up and marched to stand directly in front of Arnaud. 'You'll see, you'll see soon that I'm right. I hope for your sake it's not too late.' She threw the door open and strode from the room.

Willie stood with her arms still folded, looking to Arnaud for vindication. 'I'm sorry Wilhelmina. I believed she was doing better.'

'It's not your fault, addicts are convincing.'

He nodded slowly, Willie moved to leave the room, as she passed him he grabbed her arm tightly, startling her. 'I pray I'm believing the right person here. I've known Robbie for many years and have always found her to be a rational person. Now I will see to it that she continues to get the help she needs...but I'm watching you.' He dropped her arm and left the room without comment.

As the door closed behind him she clutched her stomach, feeling sick as it churned at how close that had been. Breathing deeply and trying to control the shaking that seemed to start the minute Arnaud had left, she was startled when the door swung open again. Afraid she didn't have it in her to go another round with Arnaud or Robbie, she heaved a sigh of relief as Joe Zee walked in.

'What are you doing here? You should be out there!'

'It's the end of the quarter.' He answered her as he closed the door.

'What do you want?'

'I'm here to help you with damage control...I'm guessing you managed to keep Arnaud and Robbie in the dark for now?'

'What the hell are you talking about?!'

He smiled. 'Sweetie, I may not know exactly what you're up to, but I know you're up to something, and I know it involves that big bar of man candy, Meade.'

She opened her mouth to protest but he stopped her. 'Deny it all you want hun, but I know you. I spent all my years under Robbie making sure I knew exactly what my competition was up to. I can tell when something is going on with Wilhelmina Slater. Don't worry I'm not going to tell anyone, that bitch made my life hell, if you're trying to bring her down then think of me as your official cheerleader.'

'You mentioned damage control?' She knew it was pointless to continue denying it, the two of them had spent years studying each other, learning each others tells in order to out-do each other as Creative Directors for their respective magazines.

'The rumour mill out there is going car-ray-zay! Girl they have you in here in a pool of blood after Robbie beat you with her Choos, they have you in here doing the nasty with Mr Bigshot, and of course the fact that Daniel is sitting there looking like a lost puppy since you came in here isn't helping matters.'

'Damn it Daniel!' She shouted at no one.

Joe smirked. 'I knew it. I totally called it.'

'Yes, yes you're so wise, now shut up and let me think of a way to shut up the gossiping masses.'

'Oh I know how, you're going to play.'

'No I'm not.'

'Oh yes you are Willie dear, and you're going to run him into the ground.'

xXx

Daniel sat on the bench, preparing for his team to go and pitch, he was unable to concentrate on the pointers he was supposed to be giving. He saw Robbie storm out of the stadium and Arnaud follow, forlornly, shortly after. There was still no sign of Wilhelmina and he was growing anxious about what was said. Had she convinced him? Or had the shit, well and truly, hit the fan?'

He heard the voice of Suzuki calling them back to the game. He tried to focus and made his way to the mound, gearing up to pitch. He tried not to smile as he saw Marc line up to bat, sulking like the last girl asked to dance at prom. The young man had voiced his very loud protests about not wanting to play and preferring instead to be a cheer leader as he had been for Mode. Wilhelmina had forced him to, however, afraid if he was a cheerleader he would spend the game frolicking with Amanda.

He stood on the mound, throwing the ball from hand to hand, waiting for the first batter to take to the box. The crowd began to get rowdy again, waiting on the game to restart, Suzuki's voice carried over the din. 'And we have a replacement batter for Elle. Joe Zee is unable to continue; batting for Elle is Co-Editor In Chief, Wilhelmina Slater. Pitching for Mode magazine; Daniel Meade, get your cameras ready people, this is the showdown we've been waiting for.'

Daniel watched as the crowd parted and Wilhelmina walked to the batters box. She stood facing him, her weight on one hip, leaning on the bat and smirked at him. He fought every instinct inside him that told him to smile at her as she winked. To anyone who had seen it would appear as nothing more than a cocky, arrogant gesture. To him it meant they were safe for another day.

For appearances sake he made sure he stared her down for as long as possible until she swung the bat on her shoulder, her hands twisting around the base. Leaning back, he arched his arm and rotated his shoulder pitching a hard ball straight to her. The ball zoomed past her into the catchers mitt behind her and he smiled cockily.

'Strike One.'

'At last, Daniel Meade manages to get something past Wilhelmina Slater.' Suzuki's catty comment elicited laughter from Elle's supporters.

The ball was tossed back to him and again he leaned back, this time taking two fast steps forward as he pitched over his shoulder. This time she made contact with the ball, she did not hit upwards, did not hit to the side, she deliberately sent the ball hurtling back to where it came and Daniel yelled as he felt the splitting pain explode on his hip as the ball made contact. The crowd gasped at the blatant attack between the Editors. Daniel straightened and limped back to the mound and glared at her.

'Foul Ball, Strike two.'

Willie looked at Daniel and smiled innocently, 'Oops.'

Handling the ball for a third time, he put all his weight behind the pitch as he threw her a curveball. She swung the bat swiftly and the loud thud as the bat connected with the ball echoed around the stadium. All eyes followed the ball as it soared high in the air and carried right on out the park. The crowd cheered, the rest of the Elle team jumping wildly. He looked at her and yet again found himself fighting the urge to smile as she dangled the bat in her fingertips before dropping it to the ground. With no sign of the ball returning she casually walked from base to base, smirking as the crowd cheered and booed in equal measure.

As she made it back to the home base she walked past the rest of her screaming team, Marc had his hand raised for a high five, she walked right past him; making Daniel laugh. She rejoined Joe Zee on the bench. He leaned into her. 'Is there anything you can't do?'

'Frown.' The man beside her laughed.

xXx

'Ow!'

'Stop being a baby.' She snapped at him as he winced. He was lying propped up on her couch and she had pulled the tight white pants he wore down to his ankles and was examining the blossoming bruise on his hip; a vivid purple ball the size of a fist with a ring of oddly coloured skin around it where the swelling had spread.

'That was a cheap shot out there today you know.'

'I do.' She smiled.

'You enjoyed it!'

'I did.' Her smile widened.

He pouted and crossed his arms. She smirked at his churlishness and rolled her eyes. She shifted herself on the couch, moving to straddle him, careful to avoid the damaged tissue, and crossed her arms over herself, gripping the bottom of the Elle top she still wore. 'How can I make it up to you?' She asked suggestively, his eyebrow quirked and his head turned back slightly in time to see her lift the garment over her head and throw it on the floor.

'Well I guess that's a start.' He smiled as she leaned down to capture his lips. She cupped his face and held him to her, deepening the kiss with fervour; her body already grinding against his. She pulled back and he inhaled deeply. 'You're eager tonight.' He had a glint in his eye as he spoke, his eyes taking in the sight of her on him, the flush already creeping on her skin, the sheer hunger in her eyes.

She smiled, 'I managed to keep Arnaud on side, I managed to keep Robbie looking like the crazy one, this time tomorrow it will all be over...' she offered, by way of explanation for the current state she was in. He slid his hands up her back, under the strap of her bra. '...and I beat your ass at softball.' She laughed, he gave her a mock angry look and pulled the strap of her bra, letting it go so it slapped against her skin painfully. 'Ow!' She flicked her finger on his forehead. 'Jerk.'

He laughed at her before moving for her lips again, his hands moving to the fastenings of her bra as her hands slipped under the fabric of the Mode shirt he wore, tracing nails over the muscles underneath. She groaned in annoyance as there was a knock at her door. He slumped back against the couch. 'Who the hell is that?'

'Well things were just starting to get interesting so I'm guessing your mother.' He laughed at her. 'It's probably Marc, go in the bedroom I'll be there in a minute. I wouldn't put it past Robbie to show up now that she's decided we're sleeping together.'

'What!?' He spluttered.

'Oh relax, I convinced Arnaud she was rambling nonsense, anyway it'll be out in the open soon enough.' She gave him a quick peck before swinging her leg over him and removing herself from his lap. She picked up the discarded Elle shirt and pulled it over her head. She turned round and laughed loudly as she saw Daniel walk towards her bedroom, the trousers still at his ankles, making him waddle. 'I've never wanted you more.' She deadpanned. He didn't turn to her, but shook his ass, making her stifle another laugh as he walked through her bedroom door.

Shaking her head and still smiling, she swung the door open and ceased smiling when she came face to face with a man she didn't recognise.

'Can I help you?' She asked, closing the door again slightly to shield herself from the imposing stranger.

'Evening Ms Slater; I'm your friendly neighbourhood messenger service.'

'What?' She screwed her face up in confusion at the smirking man.

'I have a message from Hector. You have less than 24 hours.' He whispered, trying to be menacing.

The demeanour of the man, and the sheer audacity that he would attempt to intimidate her, irked her. She straightened her stance and placed a hand on her hip, opening the door wider. 'I am perfectly aware of when the deadline is, tell him not to worry, he'll get his goddamn money.'

The man smiled and spoke to her in a soft voice, 'He's not worried, it's you who should be worried if you don't deliver.'

She opened the door fully now and took a step towards the threshold. 'Tell your boss, I don't take too kindly to being threatened. Now I made a deal and I will honour it, he might want to think again before sending his hired thugs to scare me. I don't scare easy and he should also know he's not the only one with people. I could make his stay inside very uncomfortable.'

The man had a look of incredulity on his face as he leaned in close to her. 'I don't think you understand just who you're dealing with sweetheart.'

She brought her face close to his, staring in his eyes. 'Neither do you.' She growled at him and slammed the door in his face.

Fuming from the arrival of the visitor, she stormed into her bedroom and made a show of slamming the door behind her, awakening Daniel, who had began to doze on the bed. He jumped at the sound and sat further up on the bed, the softball uniform now discarded on her floor, he wore only his boxers. He took in her stance, the shallowness of her breathing, the flaring of her nostrils, the anger in her eyes. 'If you say _we have a problem_ I may cry.' He warned her.

'That fucking asshole!' She raged.

'And what fucking asshole are we talking about?'

'Mills! He just sent one of his lacky's to "remind us" about the deadline.'

He jumped from the bed, instantly by her side and gripped the top of her arms. 'What!' He was in a panic. 'What did he say, did he threaten you, are you ok?'

She shrugged his arms off, still annoyed by the encounter. 'I'm fine.'

'For God sake Willie; why didn't you call on me?!' He snapped at her.

'And why would I do that?'

'Oh I don't know, maybe because I'm in this as deep as you are, because I'm your boyfriend, because I should be there to protect you.'

She tilted her head at him. 'You just called yourself my boyfriend.'

'DO NOT change the subject Wilhelmina!'

She shook her head and closed her eyes, sighing. 'Daniel, what would you have done exactly, chased the scary man away in your boxers? I don't need you to protect me.'

'It's not a case of you needing me to. It's just...what I should do.'

She pouted and stepped towards him, bringing her arms around his neck. 'Okay, okay, I get it. You need to assert your masculinity. The next time in threatened I'll call you straight away.' She joked.

'This isn't funny, what was said?'

She dropped her arms and shrugged. 'We'll be sorry if we don't pay up blah blah.'

'And you said?' He urged her.

'I just reminded him that I'm not one to mess around either.'

His eyes widened and he grabbed her wrist, roughly. 'Are you stupid!? Jesus Christ Willie, these people know where you live, they're dangerous and you try to antagonize them!'

'I wasn't trying to antagonize him!'

'Oh no, that's just your natural charm.' He quipped, putting his hands on his hips.

She narrowed her eyes at him. 'You know you're going the right way about not being allowed to sleep here tonight.' She crossed her arms across her chest.

He walked to her closet and pulled out a small bag, started throwing some clothes into it. 'No need to worry about that, neither of us are sleeping here tonight.'

'What?'

He moved quickly around the room, throwing garments at the bag on her bed. 'They came to your house Willie, you pissed them off. What if this guy contacts Mills right now? I'm guessing he won't take kindly at being spoken to like that by the woman he's blackmailing. He could send him back, make him make more of an impression.'

'Daniel, you're being ridiculous.'

'No I'm being cautious. Between Connor and Robbie we've had our fair share of beatings, forgive me from wanting to spare my girlfriend from another one.' He was still angry, wouldn't look at her as he packed.

'You just...'

'I know what I said, now get dressed!'

xXx

'I am not staying here!' She hissed at him.

'We can't stay in a hotel, we still can't be seen together until this is all over.'

'Why can't we stay at yours?' She whined.

He turned to her and held her hands, speaking as if to a child. 'Willie, if they checked out where you live it's a pretty safe bet they checked out where I live.'

She snatched her hands from his grasp and crossed her arms, petulantly. Daniel chuckled at her and knocked the door. After a minute the door opened and Marc stood back, ushering them inside, an uneasy expression on his face. Daniel had called ahead to tell him they were coming and the younger man had been positively jumping with nerves since he hung up. Closing the door behind him he took a deep breath for courage and walked into his living room.

Daniel was dumping the bag he brought on the couch and handed Marc a garment bag with a dress inside. Wilhelmina had practically twisted Daniels arm from the socket when he had tried to stuff the Cavalli inside his bag. Willie marched back in from Marc's kitchen, hands on hips and expression that told him she was as thrilled about being there as he was to have them. 'Don't you have any alcohol except that apple crap!?'

Marc knew not to answer her, given the mood she was in. Instead he just walked past her into the kitchen and grabbed a bottle of wine. He brought a glass back threw to her and she gulped at it deeply just as the door went again. The trio looked at it, Marc moved to answer the door but Willie put out a hand to stop him.

'What?'

She looked at Daniel, still holding Marc's arm. 'What if it's them?' The thought hadn't occurred to her that they might go after her young friend.

'I'll go.' Daniel answered.

Willie was about to protest but remembered his earlier words, if he wanted to act out his big macho protector fantasy, she would let him. Marc and Willie remained in the living room, holding their breath until Daniel came back in the room, smiling wearily and shaking his head. 'False alarm.' He moved out the way to reveal a grinning Amanda behind him, overnight bag slung over her shoulder.

'You think I was gonna miss out on what could be our final sleepover!'

Wilhelmina drained the last of her glass, refilling it again, knowing she would need alcohol to get through this evening. 'Why don't we call Betty, complete the set?' Willie asked sarcastically.

'Oh I did, she can't make it.' Amanda answered, clearly missing Wilhelmina's inflection.

Daniel came to stand beside Wilhelmina and rubbed a hand down her back. 'What are we going to do about this whole Mills situation?'

'I thought that's why you dragged me here.'

'Yes for tonight, but what about when he doesn't get the money? Willie he could come after you, I can't be at your side every minute and he knows where you live.'

She leaned into the hand massaging her back. 'I'll speak to the Senator; if anything happens to me...to any of us, my father will have him moved to a prison in the other end of the country, we'll blow the whistle on his drug trafficking and have all visiting rights revoked. He won't risk it.'

Daniel nodded, 'I'm still not convinced, I don't like that this guy just walked straight into your building. I think...'

'What?'

'Nothing. We can discuss it later.'

'No, what?! Spit it out.'

He sighed, rolling his eyes. 'I think, once this is over, we should get a new place.'

She choked on the sip of wine she had just taken. Marc and Amanda let out a collective gasp. Daniel ignored the reactions and continued. 'Oh calm down, it's not like I'm proposing. Anyway, I'm at your place every night, don't you think it makes sense to...'

'You were right before, we can discuss it later.' Willie cut him off.

The silence in the room was suffocating, Willie cleared her throat. So...tomorrow, Daniel and I have set up the meeting with all the relevant advertisers. We will meet at the studio on 28th street.' There was no need for her to reiterate the plan they had already discussed so many times they could recite it easier than the alphabet. They all knew she was speaking only to cover up the awkwardness.

'Marc, Amanda, you two will stay away; Betty too, make sure she knows. You have all helped exceptionally, but it's all Daniel and I now.' Marc and Amanda nodded.

She nodded in return and stood up. 'Good, now where is this ridiculously small, closet of a room I am expected to spend the night in?'

Marc and Amanda looked at each other. 'I...um...I only have one room.' Wilhelmina cocked her brow at him and he hastily added. 'B..but the sofa folds out.'

Willie smiled and nodded. 'I'm sure you and Amanda will be very comfortable on it.' She made her way from the room, pausing at the door. 'Daniel.' She beckoned him before disappearing into Marc's bedroom.

Daniel smiled and picked up the bag, grinning wider at Marc's crestfallen face. 'Sorry.' He held his arms out to the side, in apology. 'Where she goes, I follow.' He laughed and made his way after her, into the bedroom and closing the door.

Marc slumped on his sofa. 'Oh God.' He whined.

Amanda sat down next to him and rubbed his shoulder. 'What puppy?'

He started massaging his temples. 'They're going to have sex in my bed aren't they?'

Amanda grinned. 'Only if you're really lucky.'


	27. Chapter 27

**27.**

He couldn't tell what it was, but he found himself staring at the dark ceiling, that night. The light coming from the street lit up the room with a cold shade of blue. The voices from the other room, where Marc and Amanda had been chatting before going to bed, had died a few hours ago, and he assumed the two were now sleeping on the couch. He turned on his side and faced Wilhelmina's back. Placing a hand on her shoulder he shook her lightly.

She moaned in her sleep and slapped away his hand. He insisted, leaning closer. "Wake up, come on."

She turned to face him, with a killing glare. "What. What do you want that can't wait tomorrow morning?"

"I can't sleep."

Wilhelmina narrowed her eyes and her nostrils flared. "Too bad, because I can, and that's exactly what I'm going to do." She turned on her side, her back on him again. He placed his hand on her shoulder again and pulled at it, lying her on her back. She snorted and looked up at the ceiling, her lips pursed in a thin line. "I'm not going to have sex with you, Daniel. I'm tired. We have a strenuous day ahead, and I'm not going to spend the night awake-"

"Willie…"

"Plus, Marc and Amanda are just outside, and I'm not going to give them any more to talk about. They already had a good enough visual at your mother's."

"Wil."

"And what's more, I'm tired, I'm exhausted, I wouldn't be of any help, trust me."

"Wilhelmina Slater," he said, silencing her with his hand on her mouth. "I don't want to have sex with you." She lifted her eyebrow. "Alright, maybe I do, but that's not ultimately why I woke you up." Wilhelmina sighed and pushed away his hand. "I'm nervous," he explained.

She smirked. "I'm not, I'm used to these things."

"Shut up, you're nervous too. Look at your index finger."

"Ok, you and Marc need to stop checking out my nails."

"It's indicative of your level of anxiety, and right now it's very high." He smiled and leaned down, capturing her lips in a quick kiss. He pulled back and leaned his head against his hand. "What time do we have to be at the studio?"

"I told them 5 o' clock, which means they probably won't be there before 6," she said, stifling a yawn. "You and your mother need to be there at 5. I'll arrive earlier probably, need to set things up."

"Oh shit, I forgot," he said, suddenly, clapping a hand on his forehead. "Mom's not coming."

Wilhelmina turned her head to him very slowly. "And when exactly were you planning on giving me the 411?"

"I'm sorry, I completely forgot, with the Robbie bullshit…" he explained. "She's got a tea party, one of those things."

"And she's not coming to the meeting that will change our whole lives…for a tea party." Wilhelmina drawled each word, incredulous. "Daniel, are you sure it is not an excuse? Maybe she's seeing someone. She can't honestly be that stupid."

"First off, she's not seeing anyone. I know the person who's invited her, and…it's not an excuse," he exclaimed, noticing Wilhelmina's skeptical expression. "And secondly, you should see it from a different prospective. She's delegating, she trusts us."

"It's not like I need her to delegate shit," Wilhelmina said, her voice gradually losing the grogginess. "Oh whatever, I have enough on my mind." She sat up and grabbed her phone from the stand. "It's 5am," she said, checking the screen. "Can we sleep now? I need these two hours. Unless you want me to look like a zombie, tomorrow."

"I'm sure you would make a cute zombie," he said, grinning from ear to ear and pulling her down onto the mattress, throwing an arm over her stomach. She turned in his embrace, her back against his chest. "Alright, you can sleep," he said, kissing her shoulder and sliding a hand down her side, lifting the edge of the red negligee. "I'll just have fun with what I have here."

The next morning, Daniel walked inside the kitchen, holding his hand to his chest. Marc looked up from the counter and noticed the grimace on the man's face. "What happened?" he asked, nodding towards the hand.

"Nothing," Daniel replied, sulking. "Breakfast's ready?"

"Wait a second I'll ask the hotel service…Oh wait, we're not in a hotel!"

Daniel lifted an eyebrow, shaking his head. "Funny."

"I know I am."

Amanda walked inside the room, rubbing her eyes, wearing a short pink robe. "Good morning Marc," she said, walking past Daniel.

"And good morning to you too, Amanda," Daniel exclaimed.

The girl spun around, jumping. "Oh my God, what are you doing here?"

Daniel frowned and looked at Marc. "Uhm…I slept here, remember?"

Amanda simply stared back, with a quizzical expression. In that exact moment, Wilhelmina walked in, her hair tied up in a ponytail, wearing a fluffy white bathrobe. Amanda jumped again and let out a shriek. "What is _she _doing here?"

Wilhelmina looked back, her arm midair towards the coffee pot. "I slept here."

"She takes a few hours to load in the morning," Marc explained, grabbing Amanda by the shoulder and pushing her on the stool next to his. "Slept well?" he asked Wilhelmina.

She shot a glance to Daniel's bruised hand. "Like a baby," she said, content. She reached for the coffeepot again and poured it into the two cups Daniel had placed on the counter. "Did you sleep well?" she asked Daniel, smirking.

"I'm not amused," he replied, grabbing the cup with his good hand. He turned to Marc and pointed to Wilhelmina. "She broke a finger, I'm sure. Maybe even two."

"Perhaps that'll teach you a lesson. Next time I tell you I need to sleep, you'll keep your hands to yourself."

Marc groaned. "Would you even listen to me, if I told you I don't need to know _all _the details?" Amanda, next to him, was sipping from her mug, following the exchange with curious eyes. "You ok honey?" Marc asked.

"Yes, I just remembered everything, and I was having the dirtiest images in my head."

Wilhelmina snorted. "You don't have anything to do this morning?" she asked Marc.

"I spend Saturday mornings at home, you know that."

"I know, but don't you have _anything _to do this particular Saturday?" she asked, parenthetically.

Marc looked from her to Daniel, who was looking down on his mug, smiling inwardly. "Oh," he said, realizing what she was saying. "Oh! You're throwing me out of _my own apartment_?"

"I'm not throwing you out," she said, leaning against the counter. "I'm suggesting you take Amanda out for a walk. Maybe buy her a new purse. A girl needs to be bribed, am I right Amanda?"

Amanda's eyes widened, surprised by the camaraderie. She leaned closer to Marc and, from the corner of her mouth, she asked: "Is she drunk?"

Marc sighed deeply and stood up. "No Amanda, she just wants us to leave the house so she can have morning sex with her boyfriend, to put her in the mood for the meeting." The boy grabbed Amanda by the hem of the robe and dragged her with him. She was walking backwards as Marc dragged her outside, with a gleeful expression.

"Nasty!"

"Marc, wait a second…" she said, and the boy stopped. She turned to Daniel and smiled. "Daniel, would you mind leaving me and Marc alone for a moment?"

He narrowed his eyes and, when he realized what she was trying to do, he smiled softly. He nodded and turned round, leaving the room, and brought Amanda with him. When they were alone, Wilhelmina sat on the stool, her mug in her hands, and looked at him for a moment. "Marc…Are you happy?"

"I would be if my boss wasn't planning on having sex on my bed."

She smiled. "I'm serious. I just…why did you refuse that job at Dior?"

Marc's lips formed a little 'o' as the subject was brought up by Wilhelmina. He sat down on the stool next to her and smiled. "Because that's not where I'm needed."

"What do you mean?"

"Willie…I know you're a strong woman, and all, but…I think my presence is needed here, with you. Wherever you will go."

"Basically…You refused because of me?" she asked, as the fears she'd tried to shove away materialized right in front of her eyes with each word he said.

"I wouldn't say _because of you, _more like _for you_."

She sighed and out her head in her hands. "Oh Marc, why did you do that?" she asked, but he knew better than to answer that. "You don't need to work under me to be my friend. I thought that was something we'd cleared out a long time ago, when you became an Editor at Elle. If I need you, I can call you, I can page you, hell I can even show up at your door and order you to follow me for that matter. But you don't have to be stuck in a position when you deserve more than that."

Marc played with the edge of the tablecloth, trying not to look into Wilhelmina's eyes. He knew she was right, but as hard as it had been to refuse the position he'd been offered, it was even harder to leave her, the only woman who'd ever believed in him.

"I'm not stuck, Willie," Marc said, risking it all by placing a hand on her shoulder. "I just made a choice."

xXx

He was deep in thought, leaning back against the soft material of his armchair. His office was dark, except for the small lamp on the desk. He was staring ahead, his eyes fixed on an undefined spot on the wall when a sudden knock on the door distracted him. He waited a little before telling the visitor to come in.

He wasn't surprised to see the person standing on the threshold, as he'd been the one to call him the night before. The man stood there, dressed in a long black coat, with dark shades covering his eyes. He motioned for him to step in, and the man did as he was told, closing the door behind him.

"No one saw you coming in, right?"

"No one, sir."

"Good."

He stood up from the chair and collected the papers that were scattered on the surface; stretching out his arm, he handed them to the person standing in the middle of the room, who walked up to the desk and accepted them. He skimmed through them quickly, and returned his eyes on the old man behind the desk.

"What do you want me to do?"

"I want you to keep an eye on her, starting now," he told the man. "I want to know if there's anything I should be worried about, I want you to report every movement, every person she sees, every place she goes. Most of all, I want you to tell me if there's any kind of contact between her and the Meades."

"As you wish, Arnaud," the man said, and he quickly turned around and left the room.

Arnaud Lagardère fell back into the chair, sighing. A movement in the shadow caught his attention and he narrowed his eyes as the woman came into sight.

"You did the right thing, Arnaud." Robbie walked up behind his armchair and placed her hand on the man's shoulder, squeezing it. "This will prove to you I was right. Let's just hope it's not too late."

Arnaud stared ahead. "I still hope you're wrong."He looked down at the single picture remaining on his desk. "How did you get this?"

"When I understood Wilhelmina was working behind my back, I hired someone. You know, the _Betty Ford Clinic _can be quite a good place to collect your ideas, after all."

Arnaud still couldn't believe he'd trusted the wrong person. In all his life, he'd been known for making the right decisions, surrounding himself with the right people. And now, the thought of being played, by a woman…

He took the picture and held it up, looking at it as if he was watching his own daughter dating a con artist. It was a picture in which Daniel Meade was sneaking out of a familiar building.

Wilhelmina's.

xXx

As Wilhelmina had foreseen, it wasn't before 6.30 in the afternoon that everyone was in the studio. It was an awkward situation. Daniel and Wilhelmina were standing, at the head of the table, side by side. Sat around the table, instead, were the most important names of the fashion industry, watching them. No one was speaking, everyone was merely looking at the two editors, and they were looking back.

Donatella Versace, Roberto Cavalli, Tom Ford, Vera Wang and Michael Kors were there representing themselves; Bruno Aveillan, for Louis Vuitton; Frida Giannini for Gucci; Stefano Pilati for YSL; Emanuele del Fabbro for Armani; Karl Lagerfeld for Chanel; Michel Botbol for Ralph Lauren; Francisco Costa for Calvin Klein. At the other head of the table was Delphine Arnault-Gancia, with her long, sleek blond hair and a pair of big sunglasses up on her hair, representing Dior.

A few were whispering to each other in languages he couldn't understand, which he guessed must be Italian or French. Wilhelmina was looking down on a stack of papers she had brought with her, so he was the main focus of the attention in the room.

"Hurry up, this is nerve-wrecking," he whispered to her. "They're all looking at me."

"Be quiet now," she told him. "Everything will be taken care of. You'll see, it'll all be over soon."

"Yeah, right, just can we please get on with it?"

Wilhelmina suddenly looked up and cleared her voice, causing everyone to fall silent. There were a few seconds of stares, and exchanged looks, but she put on a smile and began to address the room.

"Thank you for coming, I know this was last minute, unexpected and might seem…" she paused, looking at Daniel. "…weird, due to the fact that Daniel and I are known for not being in best terms. And I want to thank you for keeping it hush hush, as I asked you. It's important, for everyone, that this meeting remains a secret, especially to the press."

"Wilhelmina," came a voice from the far end of the table. Vera Wang was drumming her fingers on the surface. "I hope you didn't have me fly all the way from LA for some joke. Why are we here? Why is Daniel Meade here? Why the rush and the secrecy?"

"If you let me finish-" she snapped, but Daniel placed hand on her forearm, telling her not to get worked up. She took a deep sigh and closed her eyes. "As I was saying, I asked all of you to be here because Daniel and I have been talking. And we reached a conclusion."

"Why do I have this weird feeling it has to do with Mode?" Tom Ford asked, smirking knowingly.

"Because it's true," Daniel spoke on her behalf. "Everyone in this room is aware of the work Wilhelmina has put in every single Mode issue."

"Yes, Daniel," Donatella Versace chimed in. "_We_ know that. You and your family were the ones who didn't."

Daniel swallowed. "I'm perfectly aware of that, and not a day goes by without me regretting taking it from her." He paused, letting his words linger on the people around the table, letting their meaning sink in. "I'm willing to correct my mistake, I'm willing to apologize. I'm willing to do all that, and I'm doing it. That's why Wilhelmina has been officially invited to come back to Mode."

Someone snorted. They individuated the source of the noise in the short man with long grey hair on their right.

"Hardly a shocker," Cavalli exclaimed, with his strong Italian accent. "Mode is sinking, and now you want her back on board. Why am I not surprised?"

Wilhelmina opened her mouth to respond, but Daniel spoke before her. "That's not the reason. Not all of it, at least. Sure, there's some truth to that. I would be a liar if I said Wilhelmina's comeback wouldn't improve the sales. But all I'm doing is solely to be sure she gets the credit she deserves. Mode is her magazine, not Elle. She couldn't care less about Elle. She is Mode."

Wilhelmina couldn't help but look at him, a small surprised smile curving her lips. He shot her a glance, and she nodded as a way of thanking him.

"Are you two sleeping together?"

Their heads spun round fast, turning to the woman at the far end of the table.

"Delphine," Wilhelmina stuttered. "Have you lost your mind? We're speaking of a business relationship here."

"That didn't answer my question."

"Absolutely not!" Daniel answered, too quickly for Wilhelmina's liking. "I mean, seriously? I'm all for professional respect, but other than that…I'm not into the _sleeping with the Devil_ sort of encounters." He laughed it off, and a few of the people in the room followed.

Wilhelmina put on a smile, but deep inside her guts were twisting in anger. She couldn't tell whether it was with anxiety, or the fact that what he'd just told everyone angered her to no end, even though she knew he was putting up a façade for everyone. It was something in the tone he'd used when he'd said it, something in his body language, something in the way he was laughing now.

When the laughter faded, Wilhelmina took a deep breath and cleared her voice to attract the others' attention once again. This time, she chose not to look at him, carefully. "Now, on to the reason you're here, and the reason of such secrecy-"

"We decided to-"

"Daniel, I'm talking. Please, don't interrupt me," she snapped, looking ahead. "We decided to work together, and we need your help. This month's Elle issue was put together entirely by me. I chose every ad, every photographer, every dress, every model. I did it all by myself, but I didn't do it for _Elle. _In my mind, I was putting up Mode's issue. Which is why I'm asking you permission to use what you gave to Elle magazine, and transfer it all to Mode."

No one spoke for a minute. They were all taking in the request Wilhelmina Slater had just made, pondering if that was another one of her skillful acting abilities, or if she was serious.

"Wilhelmina, this is crazy," Michael Kors exclaimed. "I'm sure you know there are some limits, _legal _limits you can't cross. I know you're so self-assured and think of yourself as a God-like essence, but we can't do this. We signed forms, contracts. We gave it all to Elle, we can't just move it like a piece of furniture."

"This is where you're wrong," she continued. "As of today, all of the contents belong to me. It's legal." She retrieved a file from the stack of paper in front of her and gave it to the person closer to her. "Here is the evidence of that. As you can see, all of the material is signed under my name, and it belongs to me, _not _to the magazine, nor Robbie Meyers."

"Where does she stand in all this?" Donatella asked when the paper reached her hands.

"She doesn't know," Wilhelmina explained, watching as the paper went from hand to hand, around the table. "No one knows. Except for me and Daniel. And Claire Meade."

"Claire Meade is on your side?" someone asked, surprised.

"Allegedly," she said, rolling her eyes.

"She is," Daniel pointed out, annoyed by Wilhelmina's antics.

"But Claire's position doesn't matter," Wilhelmina chimed in as the paper returned to her after everyone had read its contents. "What matters is that as of tomorrow, I'll be Mode's editor in chief. And what I'm asking is…are you going to be with me?"

No one answered, again. Wilhelmina was starting to get anxious; she'd thought it would take less to convince them, she'd been sure they would just jump and nod, like the little bitches they'd always been. But this time they weren't jumping, they weren't nodding. This time, they were afraid.

"Look," she said again. "There will be no consequences for you. Legally, they can't sue you. Economically? Well, it's not like Elle can cut you off, they would be left with nothing. Morally…When have any of us ever been moral, in this business?"

"Not to mention sales will skyrocket through the roof," Daniel added, with his hands on his hips.

Again, the silence was deafening. Wilhelmina chewed nervously on her bottom lip, watching as the people around the table exchanged quick uneasy looks.

The first one to talk was Tom Ford.

"What the hell, I'm in," he said, with a smile. "This'll give me a chance to make them pay me more when they beg me to go back to their magazine."

Daniel smiled and Wilhelmina took the first folder from the many on the table, handing it to the stylist. He took it and snatched a pen from Donatella Versace's breast pocket. He skimmed through the contract briefly, before going straight to the last page and signing.

"Well…" Roberto Cavalli began. "It's not going to hurt anyone, after all."

One after another they all gave in, accepting the folders Wilhelmina was giving out and signing their contracts. Wilhelmina looked down and noticed that there was still a folder, untouched. She looked up and found herself staring into a familiar pair of unwelcoming eyes.

"Delphine," she stated. "You're not gonna sign?"

"I don't know, Wilhelmina," she said, the hardness in her eyes. "Forgive me if I'm finding it difficult to jump on your ship."

"And why is that?" Wilhelmina asked.

Meanwhile, the other stylists and designers had returned their folders to Wilhelmina, and were back into their seats, watching the exchange with interest.

"You expect me to sign everything off to you, let you have total control over Dior's advertising…" she said, drumming her fingers on the table. "But you won't let your people work with me. I'm sorry, Wilhelmina, but if you don't trust me with that, why should I trust with anything else?"

"I had nothing to do with Marc refusing the job, Delphine," Wilhelmina hissed. "He has a mind of his own."

Delphine stood motionless on the chair, looking at Wilhelmina. Daniel could see the wheels turning in the woman's brain. Then, as if she'd given up, she stood up and nodded. "Alright, I'm letting you do this," the director said. "But I hope you know what you're doing, Wilhelmina."

"I always do."

Half an hour later, the last formalities were exchanged, and the most important people in the fashion world filed outside the building from a side entrance. Wilhelmina was still at the table, collecting the folders, when Daniel cleared his throat loudly.

"What," she asked, not looking up.

"What happened to showing people you respect me?" he asked, folding his arms against his chest. "What happened to being a team? You completely left me out."

"Well, that makes the two of us, doesn't it?" she said, looking up, and Daniel couldn't help but cringe at the iciness slowly creeping up behind those eyes.

"I'm not following."

"See, that's where you're wrong," she exclaimed. "Apparently, I'm the one who's being left behind. But I have to say I'm impressed by your acting skills, you were really great at showing how much you would hate the idea of _sleeping with the Devil_. You were so convincing, really. Great job." She turned to work on the folders again. "Makes you wonder if there was any truth in what you said," she added, her voice low, clearly intended to herself only.

Unfortunately Daniel heard it loud and clear. "You're kidding, right?" he asked. "You're mad because I covered up? I had to, they were onto us!"

"It's not what you said, Daniel!" she exclaimed, facing him again, a hand on her hip. "It's how you said it. It's the strength, it's the tone of your voice, it's…everything about what you did seemed very real to me. Daniel, what is going to happen when we're safe at Mode? Are we going to keep hiding because of our history? Are we always going to have to hate each other, trash each other and hurt one and other whenever we have the chance? Because I thought I told you I was tired of that."

Daniel couldn't believe what he was hearing. Half of him was amused that Wilhelmina Slater was throwing a jealousy fit, the other half just couldn't understand how she could have thought he would ever hide their relationship, if it wasn't for the sake of their plan. He knew what he wanted, and he knew it well. He had plans, he had so many plans, many of which he hadn't even told her about, but definitely none of his plans contemplated their relationship being kept secret.

He took a step forward, but she took a step back, lifting her hand to stop him. "You know what, Daniel? Maybe, if you're so good at denying…there must be something. Maybe subconsciously, you're not ready. Maybe we need to take a break."

Daniel opened his mouth, trying to find the words to tell her he was ready. He'd been ready for ages. But the words were stuck in his throat, and she shook her head, defeated.

"I can't believe we're going backwards," she exclaimed, turning her back on him again. Someone, from the door in the far corner, cleared their throat. Wilhelmina and Daniel looked up immediately, scared someone could have caught their conversation.

Delphine Arnault-Gancia slowly came into view, watching Wilhelmina. "I'm sorry," she said. "Am I interrupting?"

Wilhelmina shook her head. "No, don't worry." She turned to Daniel. "We were done anyway." With that she turned round and walked up to Delphine. "Thank you for staying, I need to talk to you."

Daniel stood there, watching the two women talk in whispers, clearly trying to keep him from hearing. He snorted and walked away, not deigning Wilhelmina with a last look.

xXx

Daniel was pacing furiously the length of his bedroom. Betty and Amanda were watching him, their heads moving from side to side as if they were watching a tennis table.

"She dumped me!" he said, for the umpteenth time. "We are so close to the end, and she dumps me? What's wrong with her? Is she stupid or what? I was clearly acting disgusted not to give anything away!"

"Daniel, may I?" Amanda said, raising her hand, surprising both Daniel and Betty. "I think you don't get what she's thinking right now. There was really no need to play it _that _much with those people. After all, you are going to announce Wilhelmina's coming back at Mode in less than 24 hours, and those people already knew of your plans."

"And?"

"From what you told us…I think you went a bit too far with the acting part."

Daniel snorted and began pacing again. "How was I supposed to know that? She told me to pretend there was nothing between us, and that's exactly what I did! Hell, I've been doing what she tells me to for the past four months!"

Betty's eyebrows reached her hairline. "Daniel, I'm sorry but I'm with Amanda on this," she said. "I think the truth is that…maybe that was a Freudian slip? Maybe you really aren't ready to admit you're in a relationship with her of all people?"

Daniel stopped and looked dead at the two girls. "I am ready. I love her. It's just, I'm so used to hating her…"

"It comes out naturally, I know," Amanda chimed in, chuckling. "That happens to every one of us, Daniel. We're all used to being so divided…Being on the same team is weird. And now that we're finally there, now that it's not about scheming and stuff, now that it's about living with it…We're coming to terms with the situation, each in our own way. Personally, I'm crossing out the days that keep me from being Wilhelmina's assistant. I think I'll change the hate into devotion."

Daniel lifted a brow amused. "You're going to have to ask Marc about that."

The doorbell rang, and they both looked puzzled. The girls stood up and followed Daniel along the corridor, to the entrance door. "We aren't expecting anyone, are we?" he asked.

Opening the door, he found Wilhelmina and Marc, their faces dark.

"Arnaud knows."

xXx

"We're doomed. It's over, they're gonna sue us, they're going to throw us in jail. They will kill us, or worse, they will have us all deported in Mexico. You know, Betty will survive, but the four of us are too pretty for Mexico!"

Marc was gesticulating madly. Amanda and Betty were on the couch, heads in hands, sighing.

"How do you know?" Betty asked Marc, but it was Wilhelmina's voice who answered the question.

"I got a text from him, just a few minutes ago. We were on our way home, and apparently he sent some sort of private detective to stalk us because he says he knows and that he has evidence of it. He wants me to meet him in his building tomorrow, at 10am."

Daniel was leaning against the wall, watching as Wilhelmina's figure leant heavily against the table. "It's not the end of the world," she said, her head hanging low. "I can solve this."

"Oh stop it," Daniel said, pushing himself off the wall and covering the distance between them. "You can't solve everything, Wilhelmina!"

"He can't sue, for God's sake!" she exclaimed, straightening herself up. "I have legal ownership of every damned thing, even the smallest article, it's all _mine_, I can take it wherever I want. I'm going to meet him, tomorrow, and everything will be worked out."

"You're not going alone."

"Of course I am going alone!" she snapped. "It's bad enough without you playing the knight in shining armour, Daniel!"

"We're in this together, Wilhelmina," he hissed. "It's as much your responsibility as it is mine."

"No!" she stated. "Arnaud, Robbie, Elle…It's all MY responsibility. I am the one who has to deal with all of it, not you! You have nothing to do with it! You take care of Mode's business, Daniel, and be sure I have a magazine to come back to, while I'll take care of anything Elle related."

Daniel's face fell. "So that is how you're playing this, Wilhelmina? Like I'm just your boss?"

"You're not my boss, you're my peer, and yes, that's exactly how I'm going to play it." She shut up, feeling the stares of the other three people in the room burning through her.

Wilhelmina stormed off, bumping into his shoulder. She grabbed her coat from the hanger and Marc stood up, immediately on her side. They turned, on the threshold, and suddenly everyone in the room felt like they'd gone back in time, with a thin insurmountable line dividing them.

"I'll meet Arnaud tomorrow, and I'll present my resignation. You schedule a press conference for the afternoon, we need to come out with the fact that I'll be back at Mode. Let me know when and where, and I'll be there," she said. She paused, her eyes shifting on Daniel. "Goodnight."

She walked away, and Marc looked at the three people on the room one last time, with a sad expression. "Goodnight," he whispered with a small smile.

As soon as the door closed, there was a loud crash; Betty and Amanda jumped and yelled at the sound, turning to see the source of it. On the floor were shattered pieces of a glass that had been on the table, thrown against the wall. They looked up and saw Daniel marching to the other room, out of sight.

"This is not good, Mandy."

"Operation: bring Mom and Daddy back together?" she asked tentatively.

"I don't think so, Amanda," Betty said, standing up and going to collect the pieces of glass on the floor. "I think it's better if they solve this on their own."

"Yeah…They'll have angry sex anyway."


	28. Chapter 28

None of them slept soundly that night. Daniel's slumber seemed as if it would never take him, his own bed felt cold; unfamiliar, his whole apartment seemed to belong to another man, another life. When sleep finally claimed him, his rest was fitful. Whether it being due to what was to come the following day or what had happened between him and Wilhelmina, he couldn't honestly say. All he knew was that each time he awoke, his arm subconsciously reached for a body that was no longer there.

Amanda and Marc spent the night curled up on his pull out bed, neither wanting to be alone and Marc, determined not to sleep in his room until he bought a new bed. They lay side by side, heads close together, fingers entwined between them. They had talked about their situation until there was nothing left to say, but still their sleep would not come. Tomorrow was it; D Day, tomorrow Mode would be back the way it belonged, order restored. The relationships that had evolved in the past months were supposed to strengthen their bonds, hold them together and, in turn, hold Mode together. Why did it feel that although their plan had ultimately been fruitful, they would be back to square one?

Betty couldn't stay in her apartment, she couldn't drown out the voices in her head. The one that told her she was doing what was best for her friend and her career was forever fighting with the one that reminded her of the ethics that were instilled in her as a child, of the morals she had once been so proud of. She needed someone to tell her it was okay, she needed to hear she wasn't a bad person. She slipped the key in the lock and entered the house, it was dark and still inside. She began to tiptoe up the stairs; mid-flight, she heard a cough coming from downstairs. Padding her way back down, she made her way to the kitchen and smiled sadly at the familiar sight of her father sitting at the table. The checked robe that was threadbare but he would never throw out because she and her sister gave it to him when they were children. The half moon spectacles perched on his nose as he squinted in the dim light at the paper he held in his hand. The 'I love Grampa' Mug he drank his sneaky cup of coffee from, which her nephew had hand made in 3rd Grade. As if he sensed her, he turned and faced her. He began to smile, but taking one look at his daughters conflicted face, he knew she hadn't called at this late hour for pleasantries. She had come simply because she needed to find comfort in her father's arms. Without words, he walked to her and enveloped her tightly.

Wilhelmina lay wide awake in her spare room, the covers pulled tight around her. She didn't have it in her to sleep in her own room, not when it still smelled like him. She knew she had to sleep, tomorrow was the day they had all worked for. Tomorrow was her moment to shine, all eyes on her as she made her triumphant return to Mode. She wouldn't allow herself to look at the empty side of her bed, settled for staring at the ceiling. They should have stuck to the plan, she reasoned; bring down Elle, get her back to Mode; simple. As soon as any emotional attachment had begun, they should have nipped it in the bud. But they hadn't and now the joy of returning to her beloved magazine seemed hollow without him. Had she let go too quickly? Why had she reacted so harshly? Did she see something in herself mirrored back at her in his outburst, her own fear perhaps? Huffing, she pulled the covers and turned on her side, her back cold and unaccustomed to not having a warm body pressed against it. She closed her eyes tightly and focussed on what she would say to Arnaud the following morning, on what she would say at the press conference, of what she would wear; anything that stopped her thinking of him.

xXx

She breezed into the office, without greeting, and tossed a sealed envelope on the desk. It landed squarely in front of the man sitting behind the imposing piece of furniture. At the same time her letter hit the desk he slammed down a similar one in front of where she stood.

'What's this?' The both questioned together.

'My resignation.'

'The termination of your contract.' They answered at the same time.

The two of them looked at their respective envelopes, the contents of each meaning one thing; Wilhelmina Slater was no longer at Elle. Arnaud picked his up by a corner and tapped it on the table. He leaned back in the chair and crossed his legs, smirking. He gestured with his hand, 'Sit down Willie.'

Reluctantly, she sat down and removed her sunglasses, hoping the make-up she put on hid the evidence of her restless night. She braced herself for the torrent of abuse, the threats, the promise of revenge. She had answers lined up for anything he could throw at her, she was prepared for it.

'Your loyalty is admirable.'

That, she was not prepared for. 'Excuse me?'

He smiled and uncrossed his legs, leaning forward and clasping his hands on the dark wood in front of him. 'I only wish I could have harnessed it for myself. You've played your hand very well my dear.'

'I always do.'

'True, some will say I was a fool to not see this coming, Roberta certainly will. Mode really is the only magazine you care for, isn't it?' He didn't wait for her to reply. 'I find it strange that you hold such an affection for a mere mass of words and pictures.'

The corner of her mouth twitched and she spoke softly. 'That's why you're a publisher and not an Editor. It's not just about pictures of pretty girls in fabulous clothes, exotic locations and succinct articles. It's about vision, it's about inspiration, art. You don't understand that the world of magazines is a window, a portal for escapism to influence and shape the minds of the impressionable readers who seek a way out of the monotony of everyday life, a way to dream that they can go beyond their limits, live the life they see bound in the glossy pages. Rich, poor, young, old, fat, thin, everyone has an imagination and it's my job to ignite it.'

He nodded, lips set in a line. 'Very poetic, and you couldn't have done this at Elle?'

Her eyebrows rose to her hairline as she continued to smile at him. 'Evidently not.'

'You're like the sea Wilhelmina...and Mode is your moon, forever pulling you back.'

'Now who's being poetic?'

He reached to the side of his desk and pulled the stopper out of a crystal decanter. Hooking his fingers inside two glasses he drew them across the desk and poured a healthy measure into both glasses. He slid one over to her.

'A little early for Scotch is it not?' She asked him, the calm atmosphere in the room was not what she had anticipated.

'Oh it's not Scotch, it's a brew made from fermented honey, a delicacy in many countries. I think it's fitting for this occasion.' He replied, bringing the glass to his nose and inhaling the sickly sweet scent.

'What is it?'

He smiled at her. 'Mead.'

She shook her head slowly, smiling, picking up the glass and sipped the nectar liquid, she grimaced, unaccustomed to the sweet taste. 'You're a lot calmer than I expected Arnaud.'

He held his hands up in a gesture of defeat. 'What's the point in anger? Granted as the owner, the matriarch of the Elle family if you will, I'm appalled; but if I step outside and look in as the business man I am, I must say I'm impressed. You missed your vocation in this life Wilhelmina, you should have been an actress. You had me completely convinced.'

She twirled the glass in her hands, somewhat unnerved that she was not in the middle of the battle she had foreseen. 'I don't know what you want me to say Arnaud. I didn't come here to make excuses, offer explanations or empty apologies.'

'I wasn't expecting any of that.' He told her honestly.

'What were you expecting?'

'Nothing, what is there to say? As I said, you played your hand well, you completely covered yourself from any possible comeback. I can't sue you, everything rightfully belongs to you. You can walk out that door right now and take it all straight to Mode.'

'I intend to.' She sat the glass back down on the desk and leaned in. 'Come on Arnaud, there must be some tiny bit of you that wants to smash this office up, call me every name you can think of and swear you will find a way to get even.'

He inhaled deeply through his nose. 'Why bother? Yes you have hurt Elle, you have tarnished the name of someone I care about deeply but in the long run both Elle and Robbie will recover, and both be stronger for it.'

She shook her head and chuckled. 'Are you ever going to tell her?'

He screwed his face up. 'Tell who, what?'

'Oh please, even before I worked here I was sick of you and Robbie dancing around each other like teens at the prom.'

'Is there a reason you're trying to play matchmaker? Atoning for your sins?' He laughed.

'I suppose you could say I owe you.' She smirked.

'Oh, that you do.'

'I must say this is far more amicable than I had envisaged. I pictured a much more tempestuous scene.'

'As did I when I first heard of your treachery, but then I think you have proven it would be unwise of me to have you as an enemy.' He raised his glass to her.

She picked hers off the table and smiled. 'It would indeed.'

xXx

The press conference had been organised, the reporters currently clamouring in the foyer of Meade publications did not know the reason; only that it had to do with Mode and Wilhelmina. Many were correctly speculating her return and thanks to a few off the cuff comments by a certain Dior rep, the rumour mill was currently working overtime with regards to the status of her personal relationship with Daniel.

As she and Marc exited the limousine they spotted the vast crowd inside, the reporters each trying to subtly inch forward, microphones and cameras at the ready; a subtlety she knew would soon be forgotten once the press conference had started and it became a feeding frenzy. As she stepped through the ornate doors, the security guards, who had been awaiting her, ushered her and Marc to the side; shielding her from the reporters who had spotted her and were currently shouting her name and trying to reach her for a comment.

Walking down a narrow strip which had been cordoned off at the side of the lobby, she reached a carved mahogany door, set into the wall. The guard in front of her opened it and she and Marc stepped inside, the sounds from outside where instantly silenced as the heavy door swung closed. The room itself was basic, was only used for purposes such as these, when a press conference or statement was forth coming. A row of folding chairs sat along one wall, spread out on these chairs were a nervous looking Amanda and Betty and Claire Meade, looking at Wilhelmina indecipherably. Against the far wall of the room there was a long table, housing several empty coffee cups, suggesting they had been here for a while and had about as good a night's sleep as she did.

The figure which had been pacing in front of the table stopped when she entered, Daniel turned to look at her, his suit jacket was off and folded on the table behind him and his shirt sleeves were rolled up. As he turned to look at her, he was chewing anxiously on a nail. She smiled as she remembered his comment about her doing the exact same thing and opened her mouth to comment, but stopped, reminding herself they were no longer in that place with each other.

When he looked at her, he was reminded of the same cliché that sprang to mind all those months ago when she first walked back into his life at the White Ball. Everyone else shrank away and they were the only two in the room. He wanted to go to her, crush her to him and kiss the air right out of her, apologise for being such an ass and just hold her. He needed her to steady him through this, needed her to lean on as they jumped this final hurdle. If there was one thing he would make sure of, it was that somehow he would make this right. Unfortunately, they currently had a pack of hungry wolves baying outside the door. He swallowed the lump that had formed in his throat.

'How did the meeting go?' His voice was raspy and low.

She nodded, still staring deep in his eyes. 'Fine, as expected, Arnaud knows there's nothing he can do.' Her normally confident and strong voice sounded weak in the echoing room.

Daniel nodded once, sharply and bit on his lip, looking away from her searching eyes. He placed his hands on his hips, 'Good...I'll go tell them we're ready to get started.' He rolled his sleeves back down and put on his suit jacket. He walked to the door, brushing right past her, their bodies making contact on the way, he didn't allow himself to look at her.

Wilhelmina closed her eyes and took a deep breath as she heard the door open and close behind her. When she opened her eyes again she jumped slightly when she found Claire in front of her, her face mere inches from her own. 'What did you do?' Claire whispered, harshly.

'Nothing you hadn't already anticipated.' She answered, folding her arms, instantly going back on the defensive.

'You've broken him.'

Wilhelmina rolled her eyes. 'He's not a glass Claire, he's not fragile.'

Claire nodded slowly, 'Yes he is. Was this all part...'

'If you're about to ask me if this was part of my plan I swear to good God I will bite you.'

Claire arched her eyebrow, asking the question without vocalizing it. Wilhelmina sighed and looked at the woman, Claire's demeanour changed as she saw Wilhelmina's mask drop. She was looking at her, _really_ looking at her, and for the first time in a long time, she saw the friend she had been; the friend that, truth be told, she had missed without even realising it. 'I know you will find this hard to believe Claire, mainly because I pay very talented people way too much money to allow such emotions to cross my face, but...' She tried to block out the fact that three other sets of eyes were also on her. '...I'm hurting too.' She finished softly, almost ashamed of the feeling.

She looked down, embarrassed by the raw emotion she had shared, she felt Claire's hand on her chin as the older woman gently pulled her face round, a questioning look on her face as she stared deep into Wilhelmina's eyes. Her face softened, surprised by what she saw in Willie's eyes. 'You really are aren't you?'

Wilhelmina shirked from her touch but nodded slowly at her. Claire smiled, still looking straight in her eyes, searching for something, her smile suddenly widened. 'There she is.' She said softly, 'I knew she was in there, somewhere under all that armour.'

Wilhelmina rolled her eyes, slipping straight back into character. 'If you hug me, I'll hurt you.'

Claire laughed. 'No need to worry there.'

A cough from Marc shook the two from their awkward moment and they both set sight on three smiling faces, each equally amused that the two women clearly still held some small feeling from their past. Willie was about to scold them for their moronic expressions when the door opened and Daniels head popped in, 'We're ready.' He quickly left.

Willie straightened up and took another deep gulp of air. She pulled at the door and made her way outside. Claire turned to Betty, Marc and Amanda. 'Now, I know you have all performed admirably, and you will be rewarded, but now is not the time for you to be in the limelight. You will stay here, agreed?'

The three heads nodded, Claire fussed with her own outfit. 'Well, I guess I should go show my solidarity."

She was about to leave them when she took a last look at Amanda and noticed the girls eyes were shining. She furrowed her brow, 'Are you alright Amanda? Is this because of your job, because...'

'No,' she cut her off. 'It's just...this is it, this is the last time we'll all be here together, a team. When we go back up to that floor it's over; before I was excited, but now...Daniel and Wilhelmina...what if it's as bad as before? What if we've just come full circle? I don't...I don't want...'

Claire smiled and cupped the young woman's face. 'You don't want Mom and Dad to get a divorce?'

Amanda laughed at Claire using her favoured term for the couple and nodded.

Claire leaned her face closer and whispered, 'Something tells me you have nothing to worry about.'

xXx

Wilhelmina was standing next to Daniel at the podium, side by side yet staring straight ahead, waiting on Claire to appear. Her mouth suddenly went very dry and the din from the reporters was too loud to pick out a coherent voice. She wanted nothing more than to slip her hand around Daniels, she clenched her fists at her side to keep her from doing just that. She saw movement from the corner of her eye and she inclined her head to see Claire joining them.

She looked to Daniel and in a rare moment of chivalry, both extended their hands to invite each other to take the lead, Daniel smirked coyly at her. She returned the smile and stepped forward, placing her hands either side of the podium. The crowd began to hush and she saw the sporadic flashes of light from photographers and the scattered red dots of the television cameras pointed at her. She continued to wait until the crowd had fallen silent. When finally there was no noise, she spoke.

'At approximately 10am this morning, I had a meeting with the head of Hachette Filipacchi Medias; Arnaud Lagardère. The purpose of this meeting was to tender my resignation as Co-Editor-In-Chief of Elle Magazine.' She paused to allow for the reaction, the momentary murmur soon quietened. 'As of now, I am pleased to announce my return as Co-Editor-In-Chief of Mode magazine and as joint owner of Meade publications.' The crowd immediately flew into a whirlwind, the flashes of cameras blinding her and the roar of questions deafening her. Some of the reporters had indeed correctly surmised that she would be returning to Mode but none had envisaged that she would regain her shares as joint owner. They had no idea the deal with Daniel had ran that deep.

Wilhelmina stepped back, ignoring the questions bombarding her, they had agreed she would make the announcement and Daniel would field the resulting furore from the media. It was agreed long ago, long before they had parted ways, during a rare uncharacteristic gesture of hers, allowing him to take charge. Daniel cleared his throat loudly and leaned into the microphone. 'Questions?'

A multitude of hands shot into the air, Daniel pointed at the nearest reporter. 'Mr Meade, can you tell us why you have relinquished half of your control of the company to Wilhelmina?'

'It became apparent fairly quickly that we needed her talents at Mode. We had to offer her a better deal than Elle was prepared to, simple as that. Next question.' He pointed at another man.

'But surely a significant pay rise, a position as sole Editor or a binding contract could have supplied that?'

'We, my mother and I had to ensure Wilhelmina knew she had total job security, reinstating her in her old capacity was the only way to do that.'

'You mean to say your mother, a long time rival of Wilhelmina Slater's, is on board with this?'

'Most definitely!' This came from behind him and he smirked at his mother shouting over the crowd. He turned to take questions from the other side and pointed at a slender red head.

'We have received tip offs from several major design houses that a contract was signed, allowing Ms Slater to take content from Elle magazine and supply it to Mode. Care to elaborate?'

'It's true that some editorial content has been transferred, yes.'

'Some? We were under the impression that Elle will be unable to publish an issue this month.'

'Regrettably, that is correct. However, the content belongs to Wilhelmina now, she is free to take it wherever she sees fit. We wish all at Elle magazine a speedy recovery in time for next month.'

'But isn't giving sole ownership to a single person highly irregular?'

Daniel smirked. 'I'm not a lawyer, I wouldn't know about that.'

Behind him, Wilhelmina smiled. Beneath her excitement at the plan paying off and the state of limbo she and Daniel were in, she was swelling with pride as he deftly answered the questions they knew would be thrown at them; he was knocking them out the park.

'One more.' Daniel told the mass and all hands shot up in the air, He spotted a familiar bouffant of spiked up black hair and smiled. 'Ah yes, of course, Suzuki.'

The man shooed people in front of him to give himself room and clicked his fingers at his camera man. 'Enough with the legal mumbo-jumbo, save that for the ugly folks on the news. I want the good stuff. I'm more interested in what this means for your personal relationship with La Slater. A little birdie tells me you two have been working undercover in more ways than one.'

The crowd fell silent, Daniel dipped his head and bit his lip. Wilhelmina was holding her breath, waiting for his reply. She heard him exhale through the microphone, he looked up and began slowly. 'As you no doubt know Suzuki, these rumours were presented to me yesterday. As you will also know, I'm sure, that I strongly denied any such relationship existed.'

Willie looked down, released her breath and shook her head almost imperceptibly. At least she knew where he stood now. She felt Claire lightly squeeze her wrist in an uncharacteristic show of support.

'I would like to retract that statement.'

Wilhelmina's head snapped up at the sound of Daniel's voice booming through the microphone. She stared at the back of his head, eyes wide and mouth agape. The reporters lost all sense of reason then, shouting at Daniel, Willie and even Claire for a comment. Daniel flapped his hands at the crowd and after several seconds, they calmed. He looked back to Suzuki who was staring at him in glee. 'So, can we take that as confirmation that you are in a relationship with Wilhelmina?'

Daniel leaned over the podium, turned his head to the side until he was looking right into Wilhelmina's eyes. 'Yeah...yeah you can.'

xXx

Marc, Amanda and Betty whipped around when they heard the door opening and Wilhelmina and Claire waltzed in the room. Wilhelmina walked to the table and put her jacket on it.

'Well, how did it go?' Marc pounced, instantly.

He was denied a reply as the door was stopped from closing; Daniel pushed his way in the room. His eyes were solely focussed on Willie as he took determined strides across the room. 'I don't care how many of you don't want to see this.' He growled at them. Reaching Wilhelmina and bringing his hands either side of her face he crashed his lips to hers urgently. There was absolutely no resistance from her as her hands instantly went behind his head, running through his hair and she kissed him back just as deeply. As he pressed closer to her, she stumbled slightly and felt her back meet the table; he never ceased his assault on her mouth, getting lost in her, feeling like it had been a lifetime since he had done this, when in truth it was less than 24 hours.

He took his mouth away from hers, both needing air. His forehead rested against hers as they both breathed deeply, he leaned back in to kiss her quickly, twice, smiling at her.

'Is it over?' They both looked over Daniel's shoulder to see Claire shielding her eyes.

'Yes...unfortunately.' Amanda huffed but she was smiling.

Claire took her hands down from her eyes, Wilhelmina and Daniel had indeed stopped molesting each other, but his arm was tight around her shoulders and her body was still tilted towards his, a hand pressed to his chest; both still touching each other, as if trying to convince themselves of the other's presence.

Betty suddenly squealed. 'I can't believe we did it!'

Marc clapped, joining his small friend in her rhapsody. 'You're back Willie...we're back.'

She sighed contentedly and smiled, shaking her head. 'Not yet, I don't think I'll feel truly back until I'm sat behind my desk...ripping Daniel's notes out of the book and replacing them with my own.'

He looked down at her. 'You mean that won't stop?'

'Never.'

He smiled and rested his chin atop her head. 'Let's get you settled back in.'

xXx

The elevator doors opened on the 28th floor and the occupants stood inside, staring out; Wilhelmina at the forefront of the group, Daniel behind her on one side, his hand resting on her back, Marc on the other, bouncing on the balls of his feet. Behind them stood Claire; arms folded and looking into the office as if seeing it anew. To her side, Amanda and Betty were linking arms and grinning widely. Wilhelmina took a step out the elevator, hearing her heel click on the tile as she stepped on her home soil. She was glad it was Sunday, glad the office was empty, she could stand back and really take it in, in all its glory.

Daniel increased the pressure on her back and she stepped further into the office, the group following her. As they each made their way out and the six of them stood in a line, she looked up and down them all. Six more improbable comrades, you were unlikely to meet, but somehow they worked; somehow they had pulled it together and she was thankful for everyone of them in that moment.

She walked forward slowly, her head moving deliberately, taking in everything. Realising that in the twenty plus years she had worked here, she had never appreciated it fully. She reached the orange doughnut, Amanda's home for the past six years and let her fingers trail over the surface. She thought of Amanda; the ditzy receptionist, Marc's friend, who had now, somehow, become an integral part of her life along with the rest standing behind her, even Betty. She liked Amanda, saw potential in her that she wasn't even sure the girl herself could, she liked how even in the darkest days of their scheme, when it seemed as if everything would unravel, she tried to keep the spirits light with her incessant 'Mom and Dad' jokes.

Standing now at the start of the tube, she halted right in the middle of the opening, hands on hips and stared down it. Stared at the ever changing objects which adorned the walkway; bobble headed dolls this week. She hadn't heard the others approaching but found them appearing beside her one by one. She felt Daniel's arm next to hers and felt his hand snake into her own. He took a step down the tube and pulled her with him. When she found herself at the end, she was midway between her office and Daniel's. Daniel turned to her and squeezed her hand. 'Welcome back.' He said quietly.

She smiled at him and then turned to Amanda. 'Anything of importance that you keep at your desk, go and get it.'

'What? Why?' She looked around in confusion. 'Are you firing me, is she firing me? Is she evil again, I can't keep up.' Her eyes darted from person to person.

Willie smiled despite trying to keep a stern expression at her ramblings. 'Go get them and bring them to your new desk.' She turned around and looked to the glass desk outside her office.

Amanda's eyes followed hers and widened. 'You mean-?'

'Congratulations, you're my new assistant.' She held out her hand for Amanda to shake, Amanda looked at it, dumbfounded. She elicited a shriek and lunged forward, pushing the proffered hand aside and hugging Wilhelmina tightly. She relinquished her hold and stepped back.

'You get one of those a year.' Wilhelmina warned her.

Amanda laughed. 'She's serious.' Marc told her. Amanda didn't seem to hear them, instead turned on her heel and fled back down the tube to gather her things.

Marc brought his clasped hands to his face and lightly clapped his fingers together. 'Yay! You found more money!'

Betty, Claire and Daniel all looked at Wilhelmina. 'I'll be in my office.' Daniel told her.

'I guess I should make a move home.' Claire said softly.

'I'll go help Amanda pack her Tootsie Rolls.' Betty said before following Claire back down the tube.

'Why do I feel like everyone knows something I don't?' Marc asked, worriedly.

'We need to talk.'

He nodded and started making his way to her office. 'Not there.' She stopped him. 'I don't think I'm ready yet.' She took his wrist and led him like you would a puppy, into the conference room. She closed the glass door and turned to find him perched on the desk. 'There is no extra money.'

He shook his head and looked down. 'I knew this was coming.' He whispered to himself. 'Are you firing me?'

She shook her head. 'No, of course not...you're resigning.'

'No I'm not.' He said, resolute.

She shrugged. 'Okay then, yes, I'm firing you.'

'Willie...' He began, whining.

'Why are you resisting this?' She cut him off. 'Marc, do you realise the affect this could have on your career? Most people wait at least five years in a creative position to be offered something like this...and from Dior no less. You have managed it in just over one. I know only one other person who made a jump like that, and you're looking at her.'

'But I...'

'But what Marc? What are you so afraid of?'

He breathed in deeply. 'Honestly?' She nodded at him. 'Of losing you.'

'What?'

'As sad as it sounds Willie...my life in fashion has been entirely devoted to you, you've been my everything. I don't know if I can do it without you.'

'Don't be stupid.' She snapped at him, anger in her voice. 'Marc, you are one of the most innovative, brilliant young minds I have ever come across. You don't need me, and even if you do from time to time, I'm not going anywhere.'

'Aren't you?' He raised an eyebrow.

'What do you mean?'

He huffed, 'Willie, when I'm out that door...when I'm no longer "Mode", when I'm no longer a part of your team...do I stop existing?'

She shook her head slowly, 'You know what? Scratch what I said about you being brilliant. You're an idiot. You don't need to have me as a boss to have me as a friend. I'm always going to be in your life, whether you like it or not.'

He looked at her, taken aback, and smiled. She had never acknowledged him as a friend before. She pulled her cell phone out and handed it to him. 'Delphine is expecting your call.' She smiled and put her hand on the door to open it.

'Willie?' He stopped her. 'Can I say something? I need to say it now, these little moments are so few and far between I don't know when I'll get the chance again.'

She placed her hands on her hips, waiting for him to speak. 'I just want to say...I want to tell you...I...' He stumbled over his words.

Wilhelmina saw her young friend struggling and stepped close to him, pulling him to her. She felt his arms go behind her back and he rested her chin on her shoulder. She clutched the man, who until recently held the mantle of most important in her life, to her in a crushing hug. 'I love you too Marc.'

He squeezed her tight and sniffed, pulling back she saw his eyes were wet. She rubbed a thumb under his eye. 'Tell anyone that and this time I really will kill you.'

xXx

Daniel watched from his office as Marc walked to his old desk. He noticed him smile at it, memories invading his head as his blonde friend strategically placed her personal effects on the desk. He saw Marc's lips move and Amanda and Betty immediately ceased what they were doing, staring at him. Betty stood up and smiled, enveloping Marc in a hug. When she stepped back Amanda threw herself in his arms and Daniel knew he had just shared the bittersweet news of his new position; that they wouldn't all be together again. He looked on as Marc linked arms with both Betty and Amanda and gave one last look at his old post before the three of them walked down the tube, he could hear their laughter as they made their way to the elevator.

Standing up, he left his office and followed their path, he watched them get in the elevator and smiled, he walked into the conference room and his smile turned to a frown as he saw the pain on the face of the woman he loved. She was leaning on the table, where Marc had left her, and staring into space. He sat down next to her and brushed a strand of hair from her face. 'Hey.' He greeted her, whispering. She didn't answer, just allowed her head to loll to the side, resting on his shoulder. 'It's not like you'll never see him.'

'I know.'

'We do a lot of business with Dior, he'll be here plenty of times.'

'I know that too.'

He tilted his head down and placed a kiss on top of her head, she rubbed her cheek against him. 'Aww, how sweet, love's young dream.' They moved from their position to locate the source of the voice, by the door.

'Robbie.' Wilhelmina breathed.

'What are you doing here? How did you get in?' Daniel questioned.

Robbie shrugged. 'I came in with the reporters, I stayed for your little press conference.'

'Good for you, now you can go. I'm guessing you have a lot of work to put in if you have any hope of getting an issue out next month.' Daniel said maliciously.

Wilhelmina placed a hand on his arm and squeezed it. 'It's ok, give us a minute.'

Daniel looked at her in disbelief but she only nodded under his stare. Daniel got up from the table and stretched. 'I'm right down the hall.' He gave Robbie a warning glare as he walked past her.

'Why are you here Robbie?' She remained on the table, staring her down.

'I came to congratulate you.'

Willie snorted. 'I'm sure.'

'Ok fine...why?'

'Why what?'

Robbie rolled her eyes. 'Why what? You know what, why bring Elle down in the process, why not just come back to Mode if you knew they were willing to welcome you?'

'We needed time to get back on top...which we are by the way. If it's any consolation, it wasn't personal.' Robbie chuckled, low in her throat. 'It wasn't, it was just unfortunate it was Elle I landed at, I actually respect you a great deal Robbie. It was a shame to have to do that to you but it would have been exactly the same had I come to work for Isabella or Vogue...God, Vogue, I'd have loved to drug that bitch Wintour.'

'Get in line.'

Willie smiled and Robbie came further into the room and sat on the table, a couple of feet from Wilhelmina. 'You know, I came here intending to scratch your fucking eyes out.'

'Most people do.'

Robbie laughed. 'I think I'll channel my rage into making my comeback Edition of Elle the best it's ever been. Blow this little rag out the water.' She said jokingly.

'Rag? Please dear, I wouldn't use Elle to line my cat box.'

'We'll see...I guess we're back to being competitors.'

'Robbie, weren't we always?'

Robbie hopped off the desk. 'True...you know in a strange way, I'm glad. I'm happy to have a worthy adversary again. It will make it all that more sweet when Elle is back on its feet and once again bumps you into second place. After all, someone very smart once said "The best revenge is success".'

Wilhelmina smirked as Robbie opened the door, she stopped and swivelled back to face her. 'You know, I suppose I should thank you too.'

'Thank me?'

'I'm on my way to dinner...with Arnaud.'

'Good for you, just make sure you don't announce you're fucking him on television.'

Robbie narrowed her eyes at her, a small smirk playing on her lips. She opened her mouth to retort, seeing Wilhelmina's eyebrow shoot up, she thought better of it and let the door swing closed behind her.

xXx

Daniel heard the sound of the elevator in the distance and made his way back to the conference room. Finding it empty he frowned, 'Willie?' He called softly, walking back down the tube to their offices. He squinted through the darkness of her office and could faintly make out her silhouette. He slipped into her office quietly, she was standing in the centre of the room, her arms wrapped around her body, hugging herself. She was lost in thought, staring at the office which she fought so hard to come back to, where she belonged.

He snuck up behind her and slid his arms over her own, behind her, resting his chin on her shoulder. She leaned her head back in to him and brought a hand up behind her to circle his neck.

'What are you thinking?' He murmured.

She sighed, shaking her head. 'Something feels...wrong.'

'What do you mean?' He asked, turning his head, his lips lightly brushing over her cheek as he allowed his hands to gently run up her sides.

'This office, it doesn't belong to me. It belongs to the woman who was consumed by the desire to ruin you, who hated you, who wanted to take everything you had...hurt you. I'm not her anymore.'

'I hope not.' He chuckled, lightly biting her shoulder.

She smiled. 'This place...it doesn't feel like it's mine, it's like it belongs to another time.'

He brought his lips to her ear, gently kissing the top of it before whispering, 'It's a good job I'm having it remodelled for you.'

She turned in his embrace and he clasped his hands together at the base of her spine, her hands resting on his biceps. 'You are?'

He nodded. 'Contractors and decorators are coming in next week.'

'Designers?'

'Already taken care of, everything was hand-picked by yours truly.' He smiled.

'And what makes you think you know what I want?'

'Well I know your taste is good...you picked me.' He joked.

'See, there you go being corny again.' She sighed, cajoling him and smiling. She was touched that he had even thought of doing this for her.

He brought his nose down to touch against hers and rubbed up and down softly. 'I love you...I know you don't do the corny, mushy shit but that's one thing you're going to have to get used to hear...'

She clamped a hand to his mouth, silencing him. 'I love you too.'

She took her hand away to reveal his lips turned up in a smile. He brought his mouth to her slowly, lips parting and brushing against her own lightly. Her own lips traced his, teasing each other, exploring. Unable to take anymore, Daniel brought a hand to the back of her head and brought her closer to him, she instantly groaned as the pressure of the kiss increased, his tongue delving into her mouth.

Her hands moved from their position on his chest to the buttons of his shirt, undoing the fastenings and pulling it out from his trousers. Her hands slid up his exposed chest and slid the garment down his arms. As it fell to the floor, her hands returned to his biceps, gripping the muscles tightly. He pulled her lip into his mouth before moving his attention to her neck. He head falling backwards as he placed kisses under her ear, in the place no other man had ever known turned her on.

She felt her body singing out to be touched by him, as if reading her mind, he pulled at the straps of her dress, pulling it down her body, he followed it, kissing the skin it bared on its descent, kneeling on the floor, he slid it over her hips and helped her step out of it. His hands went to the back of her legs, running up her calves onto her thighs as he moved back up her body; his tongue making a trail up her body as he stood again. His hands cupped her ass and he lifted her, carrying her over to the desk. He swept a hand out, clearing it, knocking things to the floor.

'Good thing I'm having it remodelled.' She said, breathless.

'I've had fantasies about this long before you even left for Elle.'

She gasped. 'I knew it!'

He grinned as he sat her on the edge of the desk, his lips returning to hers. Her hands reached for the fastening s of his pants, brushing against his erection. He groaned and twitched against the brief contact, she slid the zipper down and pushed the pants over his hips, he stepped out of them and kicked them aside. Daniel reached behind her and unclipped the bra encasing her, letting it join the other discarded clothing on the floor. He brought his hands to the front and felt the weight of her breasts in his hands, delighting in feeling them react to his touch. He pulled away from her mouth and instantly latched on to her breast; she released a moan at the contact, holding his head tight to her, her pelvis rocking on the desk, desperate for contact with him.

His mouth switched to the other breast, nipping and sucking as he knew she liked, his hand mirroring his movements on the one he just abandoned. She could feel the want in her becoming too much to handle, she pulled at his head and brought his lips violently back onto hers, kissing him fiercely. Her hand went inside his boxers and circled the base of his member, freeing him from the material. As she stroked him, feeling him become more engorged under her touch, his fingers pushed the fabric of her panties aside, and teased her; running his thumb along her as she tried to push herself against his touch. She gripped him hard as he thrust two fingers inside her, his thumb still pressed against her, increasing the pressure as his fingers massaged her core.

Their kisses ceased as they both felt themselves closer to the edge, he rested his head against hers, watching her bite her lips, her eyes closed, her body losing control. Her hand was working faster over him and she suddenly stopped, the abrupt loss of contact breaking his concentration and his movements ceased as he groaned.

'Chaise...' She moaned.

Breathing heavily, he lifted her, her legs wrapped around him, rubbing her body against him, increasing his need for her. He lay her down on the chaise and settled between her legs; kissing the valley between her breasts as he tried to ignore his painful erection. He dragged her underwear down her legs and added them to the mounting pile of clothes. His kisses went lower on her body, she grabbed his hair, stopping him from going further, forcing him to look at her.

'No.' She growled, her voice almost a whisper as she pleaded. 'I need you in me now.'

With those words, and the hunger he saw in her eyes, he didn't need to be told twice as he moved back up. He bent to kiss her but she held his head away from her, looking into his eyes as he positioned himself at her centre and slowly entered her. He studied her face, the way her eyes widened at the sensation, how she held her breath as he slipped inside; he would never tire of that look, of knowing he caused it.

She remained holding his head, the two of them drinking in the sight of each other as he began to move. He wouldn't last long, not with her looking at him like that, he tried to slow his movements, prolong it; but his body was out of his control. In an attempt to delay his release he pulled her up against him and when he felt her legs lock around him, he twisted their bodies until he was underneath her. He sat up on the edge of the chaise, holding her body close. His mouth once again attaching to her breast; the teasing of his teeth lit a fire in her and she began rocking against him rapidly, her head dropping to his shoulder, nails digging into his biceps.

He felt himself being driven closer and closer to his release, his breath began to come out in erratic bursts, his upward thrusts became more frenzied. Her hands linked around his neck, she leaned back and he continued driving up to meet her. He couldn't keep going, his climax was imminent, he needed her there with him. He brought his mouth to hers, not kissing, lips barely touching. He supported her back with one hand as her hips rotated on his, slipping the other hand between them he teased her with his fingers. 'Come with me.' He groaned, he pinched her hard and her body instantly stiffened, she cried out as she came, nails scraping the skin of his neck. As her orgasm hit her, he felt her tighten around him and with an upward thrust he finally allowed himself the release he so badly needed. Her muscles closed tighter around him as he came and he shouted her name, body bucking up against hers as she began to tremble.

Their heads resting on each other's shoulders, they tried to recover from the intensity of their orgasms. He kissed her shoulder lazily and she pulled back from him. He looked up at her, her hooded eyes, mussed up hair and swollen lips and brushed his lips to hers, her hand running down the side of his face.

He lay back, dragged her with him, her body still shaking in the aftermath. They untangled their legs and he pulled her down to him, her back against his front. She shivered.

'Are you cold?' He whispered.

She nodded, still not trusting her voice. He looked around for a throw; finding none, he reached back and twisted his hand in one of the gold curtains behind the chaise and pulled hard, ripping it from its fastenings.

'Daniel!' She exclaimed.

He chuckled, wearily; exhausted. 'It's getting remodelled.'

She turned and smirked at him before settling back down against his chest as he covered them. He propped himself up on his elbow and looked down at her, running his fingers up and down her bare arm. She was staring ahead, a serene look on her face. 'What are you thinking?' He asked her for the second time that evening, kissing her temple.

She shifted her head and let him place a kiss on her lips and smiled, turning to stare into the room again.

'I'm home.'

xXx

_**Author's Note [Fra]:**__ You know that feeling you get at the end of a wonderful journey, when you look back and think "Woah, are we done already?". That is exactly what I'm feeling right now. It's been easy, extraordinarily easy most of the time. This story had the incredible power to write itself most of the time. Lines just came to mind, and I felt like I just had to let the characters speak through me. It was Wilhelmina, Daniel, Marc, Amanda and all the other characters who wrote this story. Kirsten and I just listened to what they were suggesting to us. Thank you for sticking with it, for reviewing enthusiastically and, most of all, for saying this story was better than the actual show. You know what? Fuck YES, it is. Lastly, to anyone considering a joint fic, I have just a small piece of advice. Choose your partner very carefully. I thank God for having such an amazing co-writer, because I can truly say she reads my mind, and I can't imagine writing with anyone more perfect. I love you, darling. =)_

_**[K]:**__ I can whole heartedly say that I found this fic just as hard to let go of as I did the show. Everything Fra said before me is 100% correct, the words did seem to just flow effortlessly onto the page. When I look back to when we first began planning this fic; there was no Cliff, no Alexis and certainly no mention of Connor. The story evolved as we wrote it, the scenarios and situations our intrepid duo and friends found themselves in felt natural. On the rare occasions I struggled to find the words to fill the page I was fortunate to have a wonderful writing partner to inspire me, the other half of my brain. I genuinely feel it's now easier to write with her than without her. Every time I would send a chapter to her I would be eagerly awaiting feedback, before moving right on to stalking her for her own update. More excited for them than any other fic I read...and I knew what was happening! As sad as I am to see this story end, I'm equally excited about writing our next joint attempt. I hope Fra knows what she let herself in for, because I'll be begging her to write with me for years to come. Who knows, maybe one day I can convince her to come back and visit this wonderful world we imagined. Thanks to all who joined us on this ride, who reviewed and loved this story as much as we did, but my special thanks must, as always go to Fra; my beta, my co-writer and my friend. Love ya babe! _


	29. Epilogue

**Epilogue**

_5 Months Later_

"Put on your coat."

Wilhelmina lifted her head to see Daniel walking inside her brand new office, holding her coat up. She narrowed her eyes and ignored him, lowering her gaze again and going back to the book opened on her desk in front of her. She saw Daniel's hand reach for it and shut it.

She opened her mouth to complain, but he simply held up the coat before her eyes. She sighed and snatched it from him, remaining on her chair. "What? Where are we going?"

"I have to show you something," he said, beaming at her. "Come on, it's just a couple of blocks away, I swear.

She sighed and finally stood up, putting on her coat. She circled her desk and he grabbed her hand, leading her outside, towards the elevators.

"Amanda," he said, passing by the girl's desk in front of Wilhelmina's big circular window. "If anyone calls for Wilhelmina, tell them she's in a meeting. And I'm in a meeting too. Just…whoever it is, we're in a meeting, ok?"

"A private meeting, I guess?" Amanda said, suggestively wiggling her eyebrows.

Daniel laughed and dragged Wilhelmina away with him. People turned to stare when they walked by, many still gasping as they saw their linked hands. Daniel loved it, because somehow it still made it feel like something forbidden, and it lit up his desire.

The elevator doors dinged open, and the people inside ushered out when Daniel and Wilhelmina stepped in, no matter if that was really the floor they'd intended to go. No one was really keen on spending the briefest minute in the same with the two Editors. It was still weird to see the two whispering into each other's ear, standing in close proximity. It was awkward because they often couldn't keep their hands to themselves.

The hype had died out, eventually. The first months, it had been hell. They'd been bombarded with critiques and the support seemed to turn into hatred and mistrust. The first Mode issue, however, had been the best selling issue in the history of the magazine. Slowly but surely the shock had faded into amazement, and everyone had accepted that Wilhelmina and Daniel's move had been the wisest for everyone.

Even Elle, after the first months, had managed to get back to normal sales. They were not close to Mode, but they were no longer at the bottom. Robbie had finally recovered completely from the Wilhelmina's little stunt, drugging her on live TV. Lindsay Lohan and her latest rehab scandal were much more interesting.

Robbie had indeed filed for divorce from her husband, and Wilhelmina knew it was because eventually she had accepted that Arnaud might be more than a friend. She still chuckled at the idea that she had been the match maker in that situation. She would deny it, if anyone ever asked, but she was happy for them both. After all, they were good. Arnaud was almost as good as Bradford was, and Robbie… Maybe she was not as good as her, nor as good as Anna Wintour, but she knew what she was doing most of the time.

Marc enjoyed his new position more than he let on, but she knew him so much she could always read through him. He always tried to act as if he missed his old job, when she was around, but she knew he would never go back. And Wilhelmina wouldn't want it any other way, because now he was really her friend. True, he was still scared of her from time to time, but the fact that she was no longer in the position of firing him on the spot sure had done him some good, and he now felt compelled to tell her the truth instead of what she wanted to hear. She had gained a lot from it: a real friend.

Amanda had found her niche, working with Wilhelmina. The girl had the right dose of wickedness to follow the Editor's little schemes, and the right dose of twisted morality to help her see reason when her old ways seemed to creep in. Weirdly, Wilhelmina had found in Amanda a person to talk to, something she'd never quite found in any assistant after Marc. She couldn't go as far as to call it a friendship, but it was a relationship.

Betty was still…Betty. Always trying to do the right thing, and sometimes trying to tell Wilhelmina too, in the illusion that her relationship with Daniel had somewhat changed the fact that she didn't like people talking to her like she was someone who would ever care what they were saying.

Now, alone in the elevator, Daniel embraced her from behind and began placing butterfly kisses below her ear. She smiled and tilted her head to the side, placing her hands over his, on her stomach.

"This is not some childish way to bring me home and have your way with me, isn't it?" she asked, closing her eyes, letting the sensation wash over her.

"As if you would complain," he joked, closing his lips over her earlobe.

"I wouldn't," she agreed. "But I would be very upset at being kidnapped."

He smiled. "That means you would have to punish me?" he asked. "Because you know I love to be punished."

She chuckled in her throat, turning into his arms and sneaking her arms around his neck. "Confess."

"I'm a very bad boy," he said, leaning in, brushing his lips against hers, pulling back quickly with a knowing smile. "But that's not it. I'm sorry Miss I-Know-It-All."

The elevator reached the hall and the doors opened up. "Oh my God, can't you two give it a rest?"

The blonde stepped inside the elevator and Daniel detangled his hands from Wilhelmina, reaching for her hand again. The two stepped out and turned, smiling at Claire like a couple of embarrassed kids. "Never," Wilhelmina said, grinning.

Daniel tugged at her arm and she followed him, leaving an amused Claire behind them.

"Alright, where are you taking me?" She asked, now growing impatient. "You know I'm not a fan of surprises."

"That's not what you said when I showed up dressed as a pirate," he said.

"Now, while that was enjoyable, I'm still doing my best to erase that memory."

"Shut up, you loved how I handled my sword," he said, opening up the town car's door for her. She jumped in and he followed her.

"That was lame," she stated.

"I know."

The ride lasted less than forty seconds, and the car pulled up at a building two blocks away from Mode. "You really weren't kidding when you said it was only two blocks away," Wilhelmina said, shaking her head. "But I love you, because you knew I would never walk those two blocks in these heels."

He smirked, pleased, and helped her exit the car. He led her inside the building and, in the hall, Wilhelmina looked the surroundings. It was a beautiful place, with a tall white ceilings and marble floors.

"Where are we going?" she asked, following him to the lifts. He pushed the button and the door opened immediately. They stepped in and Daniel pushed button for the 36th floor. "Are you going to answer?" she insisted.

Daniel shook his head and looked up, faking interest in the perfectly white elevator. She folded her arms and leaned against the wall, tapping her foot on the cold tile. "Daniel, I'm not someone you can drag around without an explanation."

"Weird, I thought I just did that," Daniel exclaimed, with a smirk.

They reached the 36th floor and Daniel stepped out. Wilhelmina followed him once again, reluctantly. She stopped dead on her tracks when he saw him stopping in front of a door and extracting a key from his pocket.

"What are you doing?"

He looked at her, smiling, and inserted the key in the keyhole, unlocking it. He opened the door and entered, waiting for her to follow him, but she remained where she was, a safe meter away from him.

"I said, what are you doing?"

"Will you please come in?" he asked, with a mock bow.

Still, she didn't move. "Daniel, if you don't tell me what this is I'm stepping back inside the elevator and I'm going back to Mode, heels or not."

Daniel scoffed. "Wilhelmina, if you trust me, you'll come inside this fucking apartment."

She didn't know if it was the fact that ever since they'd been together he'd grown an attitude and that aroused her, or whether it was because she really did trust him after all, but she finally moved and stepped over the threshold. Daniel closed the door behind her, and when he looked at her he was glad to see her mouth was open in amazement.

The huge room they were in was completely empty. The walls were so white it was almost blinding, and the huge circular windows reminded him of the Mode office. The ceiling was tall and vaulted, with an elegant crystal chandelier hanging from it.

"What do you think?"

Wilhelmina couldn't speak. She walked further inside the house, reaching the other side and going inside another room, similar to the previous one. She turned around and stopped on the threshold of the first room, Daniel still standing on the other side, near the entrance. Her expression was undecipherable.

"What is this?"

"Will you keep answering my questions with more questions?" he asked, getting nervous.

She looked up at the ceiling again, not knowing what to say. She drew nearer to the big windows that offered a spectacular view of the city and let the sunlight pervade the place. She ran her hand down the curve, looking outside the window, before spinning around. "Is this what I think it is?"

"It depends on what you think," Daniel whispered, biting his bottom lip. "I swear it's not another sex dungeon."

Wilhelmina just couldn't bring herself to come out with a witty remark. She was mesmerized by the beauty of the place, and by its meaning. "Where do I fit in this?"

"Willie…" Daniel began, taking a few steps and reaching her in front of the window. "I love you. Seven months ago, I was alone. I was surrounded by people, but I felt alone. I had no one I felt I could talk to, no one that could understand my problems. I was a different man, a weak person always trying to please others. I was always struggling with what people wanted me to be. And then you came along."

Wilhelmina felt the urge to stop him, because she didn't know if she was strong enough to hear those words, but something inside her was keeping her still. He reached for her hand and held it in his.

"You came along, and you changed my life. It doesn't matter what our past has been, you turned my world upside down. And I don't think, in a million years, I could ever been happier than I am right now, in this moment, with you. There's nothing more I want from life, because I have all I need right here next to me. You changed me, Wilhelmina Slater. You made me the person I am today; a man who's no longer afraid of making choices, a man who knows how to get what he wants."

Wilhelmina looked down, and tried to free her hand from his grip, but he kept her tighter.

"And I changed you. You're a strong woman, but now you know that you don't have to fight anymore. You don't have to watch your back, because finally, you know that you're in the right place. I am your right place. I want to be the place you feel at home at. I want to be the one that you rest your head on, and I want to be the one to look at you every night, while you're sleeping. I don't want to spend one minute away from you, because I know my body, my brain and my heart can't function without you. I want to be your right place, Wilhelmina."

She stopped resisting and bit her bottom lip, still looking down, trying to fight the huge smile threatening to curve her lips. Mainly because she was too scared it would wrinkle her face, and secondly because she didn't show emotions. She didn't _do _emotions. But it was getting harder by the minute. All she knew was that now her hand was squeezing his, no longer shrinking at the contact, no longer afraid at the intimacy of what he was telling her.

She realized in that moment that she was no longer afraid.

"And now…Before I get too nervous and forget all I have to say…now I'm asking you…" he paused and she looked up, staring straight into his eyes. "Wilhelmina Slater…Will you move in with me?"

Wilhelmina narrowed her eyes. "You know, for a moment there I thought you were proposing."

"You just killed the romance."

"Yes."

Daniel frowned. "Yes what?"

"Just…yes."

She couldn't keep it anymore, the smile she was holding was much too strong than any beauty tip or absurd steely exterior. She smiled, and he smiled too, taking in the meaning of that single syllable. In one swift movement he hugged her, picking her up from the floor. She kissed him, running her hands through his hair, and he spun her around in the air.

She pulled back and he put her back down, still unable to contain his excitement. "We're going to live together!" he exclaimed, touching her arms, as if he was trying to assure himself he was not hallucinating, that she was really there.

"We are," she said. "But I have two conditions."

"What?" he asked, quickly. "Anything. You want me to be your welcome mat? I will. You want me to build a walk-in closet? I will, I will do it myself."

"No, none of that," she said, placing her hands on his shoulders, trying to calm him down. "I have two simple requests."

"Do tell?"

"Firstly, I want to keep my own apartment…for practical reasons. I'm not trying to kill the mood here but it makes sense."

He nodded once, "Done…next?"

"We never tell your mother where it is."

Daniel looked at her, quizzically. "Why?"

"Because I need to be able to have sex with you without interruptions!"

Another 5 months later

He opened the door and let her walk in front of him. She hadn't spoken to him the whole way home and walked through their home with her back rigid in anger. He followed her into the kitchen and watched as she poured herself a glass of wine, neglecting to get one for him.

'Willie, what's wrong?'

'Nothing.' She sipped from the glass and carried it with her to the lounge, she sat on the antique love-seat positioned in front of the large circular window, as she did every night, and cast her gaze out over the city.

He shrugged, knowing when she was in a mood like this, she wouldn't offer him anything until she was ready. He walked through to their bedroom, decorated in rich warm tones at Wilhelmina's request. Everything in the apartment had been decorated to her say so. Daniel hadn't minded, he had enjoyed watching her get excited about designing a home for them to share. The home had taken almost eight weeks for it to come up to Wilhelmina's standards and they could move in, they had shared a home for three months now and it had been surprising how easy the transition had been, how in sync they already were and how he couldn't ever imagine not waking up with her in his arms.

Taking his suit jacket off, he popped a couple of buttons at the top of his shirt and removed his tie. He lay on the top of the bed and counted to fifty, giving her a bit of space to calm down. He rolled on his side and swung his legs back off the bed. He walked slowly back to the spacious living room and smiled as he took in her figure, still sitting in the spot he had left her; she had kicked her stilettos off and had her legs curled under her, massaging her feet with her free hand.

Moving quietly he took a seat beside her. 'Here, let me.' As he reached for her foot she slid her legs back to the floor and stood up, sliding her feet back into the heels, walking away from him.

He slumped against the plush cushion of the seat. 'Willie, come on, what is it I'm meant to have done?'

She turned to face him and sighed. 'Nothing, that's just it Daniel, you've done _nothing_.'

'You're mad at me…for nothing?' He asked, eyebrows raised.

'Exactly.' She nodded and left the room.

He ran a hand over his face and resigned himself to the fight he knew was ahead of him. Deciding it was better to get it over and done with, he followed her. She was back in the kitchen, refreshing her glass of wine. He leaned over the counter, looking up at her. 'Are you going to make me guess?'

She stayed silent. 'Wil, I need to know what I'm apologizing for, I'm not a mind reader. What's got you so angry at me?'

'I'm angry at myself okay, and it's your fault. So I'm angry at you for making me angry at me…got it?'

He shook his head slowly. 'Not even a little bit.'

She sighed and placed her hands flat on the surface, either side of her glass, and wouldn't look at him. 'Well if I wasn't living with a corny, sentimental fool then I wouldn't have felt the need to do something so out of character it makes me shiver just thinking about it; and to top it all off it turns out I needn't have bothered because you're _not_ the corny sentimental fool I thought you were.' She rambled.

'Okay you're still not making any sense…what did you do?'

'Do you know what today is?'

'Friday?'

She bit the inside of her cheek. 'I got you a gift.'

He brightened and straightened up. 'You did? A gift? For me?' He smiled inanely. 'Why?'

She turned to face him and leaned her hip against the counter, tracing her finger over the edge of her glass. 'Oh I don't know, can you think of any reason that couples may buy each other a gift?'

He screwed his face up. 'It's not my birthday, it's not Valentine's…' He shrugged.

She tilted her head. 'No other reason? Nothing you could think of that two people would perhaps celebrate together? Perhaps something annual…' Her gaze took on a steely glint.

Daniel went rigid and his eyes widened; 'Shit…' he whispered. 'I'm sorry, really I…'

She held her hand up. 'Stop, I don't want to hear it. You're just being a man, forgetting anniversaries, birthdays…'

'You refuse to tell me when your birthday is!'

'Your point?' He opened his mouth to speak but she cut him off. 'Look, I don't want to get into this, you're only going to piss me off with your overdue apologies and I'll say something I'll regret. I don't want to fight…I'll be back in a while.' She put her glass down and walked from the kitchen.

'Where are you going?' His answer was the slamming of the door.

xXx

She had hailed a cab and it brought her to the place she always returned to when she needed to blow off steam. Her heels clicked on the tile as she walked through the deserted office, texting furiously on her Blackberry, telling Marc what an ass her boyfriend was. She was so engrossed in her task she didn't notice the dim light coming from her office until she was at the door.

She gasped as she slowly stepped inside, the source of the light came from clusters of candles placed throughout the room. In the centre was a small circular table; set for two, petals adorned the surface and an elegant candelabra set in the middle. As she stood perfectly still, staring at the scene before her in wonder, she felt two hands slide over her arms and the weight of a head leaning on her shoulder. She felt lips kiss the side of her face and warm breath in her ear.

'I can't believe you thought I'd forgotten.' He whispered.

She turned around, her expression becoming more stunned as she took in the tuxedo he was wearing. 'How...?'

'I had a town car waiting. Here's a tip, changing into a tux in the back seat of a moving vehicle is harder than it looks.'

She laughed, eyes still wide, still amazed at what he had done for her. 'But all this…' She gestured the room. 'You were with me, how did you do it? How did you know I'd come here?'

'Please woman, I know you better than you know yourself. Marc came over and helped Amanda and Betty set it up.'

'Ah of course, our little cheer-leading squad.' She brought her hands up to hold his face. 'So you really are the corny, sentimental fool I thought you were huh?'

'I'm afraid so.' He laughed.

'Just as well I love you then.' She brought his head down and kissed him. He pulled back before she could deepen the kiss.

'There's more.'

She arched her eyebrow at him and he relinquished his hold, he walked over to the small table and picked up a long black velvet box. He handed it to her and his smile broadened when he saw her eyes widen as she opened it. 'Daniel.' His name came out in a breath.

'You like it?' He asked, hopeful.

She took the delicate diamond bracelet from the box and held it in front of her, watching the light catch it and it sparkled in the dim room. He took it from her and clasped it around her wrist, she looked at it, smiling and leaned in to kiss him. 'I can't believe you did all this…again.'

He smiled at the memory of the last time he had attempted something like this. 'You better not fall asleep on me this time. The dinner and bracelet are only part one, I plan on part two of my gift lasting all night.' He leered, wiggling his eyebrows.

She smiled at him. 'Now I feel awkward.'

'Why?'

'Because you did all this…you kept it a secret, put in all this effort, got me this beautiful gift. What I got you doesn't even compare.' She pouted. 'You know I don't like to be outdone.' She slapped his chest, jokingly.

'Oh that's right, you got me a gift.' He smiled, expectantly.

'Not as such.'

'What do you mean?'

She shrugged, 'You know what, forget it, it's silly. How about tomorrow we go out and you can pick anything you want…better still, let's go upstate this weekend.'

'Willie…tell me what you got me.' He chuckled.

'I didn't get you anything…I did something.' She finished softly.

'What did you do?'

She swallowed and looked up into his eyes and locked her arms around his neck. 'I sold my apartment.'

His face split into a wide smile, 'You did?'

She nodded. 'I think it's about time I show how serious I am about this… about us. It's no romantic dinner, no beautiful piece of jewelry; but it's real…and it's from me, I may not be one to say it every day but I wanted to show you that I do love you; this is it, you're my _right place_.'

He grinned 'That's better than anything you could have ever bought me.' He leaned down and caught her lips with his own; the kiss was slow as they both poured their feeling for each other into it. Breaking the kiss gently, their faces stayed close to each other, noses touching. Daniel moved his mouth to the side of her face, kissing her gently under the ear.

'Happy anniversary Willie.'

**The End**


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